Kay Nimitz Smith's Blog

 

Granini's Cookies

Every year I keep posting cookie recipes, but then I can't remember which recipes I still need to add to my blog. Here is a lovely collection of cookie recipes that I've posted so far... I will endeavor to remember to post the missing recipes as this month flies by!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips
Chocolate Cookies with Andes Mint Chips
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies with Caramel fillingGingerbread Houses
Gingersnaps
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Cookies
Oatmeal Scotchies
Oreo Cakeballs
Peanut Butter Cookies with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Pecan Tassies
Pina Colada Cookies
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sand Tarts
Shortbread Sugar Cookies with frosting
Snowballs (Mexican Wedding Cakes)
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)








Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Gingersnaps

Lemon Cookies
      Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies



Shortbread Sugar Cookies
(Great for frosting / decorating)

Snickerdoodles recipe & instructions


 Sugar Cookies
* * * * *
Here are links to her other desserts:
One link to all desserts
Pies
Tasty Treats
Cakes
Link to food recipes (not desserts)


* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

 

Granini's Thanksgiving TimelineWhen to make what for Thanksgiving Dinnerand when to put it in the oven
Several years ago I started to prepare a Thanksgiving Timeline. I wanted to make as much stuff as I could ahead of time, so that on Thanksgiving Day, I could whirl around the kitchen like a crazy person, but not feel quite as frantic.

And THEN I had this brilliant idea.

Why not create a fancy spreadsheet, so that I could simply refer to it every year, rather than try to recreate the same list year after year after year??

And so I did.

 I make a LOT of food for Thanksgiving. AND, I make a lot of pies.
So I made spreadsheets.

I also have spreadsheets for grocery lists.

It sounds insane, but it has helped me immensely with preparing an entire feast by myself two separate times in one week. Yes, that's right. I make Thanksgiving twice, each year. Once on Thursday, and once again on Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, I made Thanksgiving a third time (last Saturday). Yes, I'm that crazy.

I do not give myself a lot of extra time for each item, as I have made every recipe hundreds of times, and I know how long it takes me to make everything. You may wish to add more time to each item if you are a beginner cook, or if you're not as adept at cutting, dicing, and mixing. But for me, these timelines are divine. And they even allow me a quick nap, a good rest period to watch a bit of football and put my feet up, as well as time to eat breakfast and an hors d'oeuvre filled lunch. This year my goal is to add in Drinkies to the list -- Holiday inspired Cocktails. Delish!!

So, for those of you who would like to see them, here they are.

I hope that they help you immensely on the BIG DAY OF DAYS.


The day before Thanksgiving

  

Thanksgiving Day




 




Friendsgiving (smaller Thanksgiving dinner)


 

I'll gather up my grocery lists and post those too if you're interested!!
Links to my Thanksgiving Recipes: Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory TreatsSpinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip

Turkey

Roasted Turkey
(or what I like to call bathing a turkey in butter in a toasty oven)

Side DishesCornbread Stuffing / Cornbread Dressing
Bacon Beer Cheese Dressing (recipe to follow shortly)Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with MarshmallowsGravyDinner Rolls (aka Parker House Rolls)Ratatouille (for the vegetarians!)Cranberry Orange Relish
Glazed CarrotsCreamed Corn Casserole
Cheesy Creamed Corn Casserole (recipe to follow shortly)Sautéd Green Beans with peppers and onions
Sinful Macaroni & Cheese



Additional Recipes you may want to peruse:
Cornbread
Spaghetti Sauce (for the Ratatouille)
Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie for the days after Thanksgiving





Pies!The week of Pie 
(all of my pie recipes in one place)


Pie Crust recipe & instructions
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie with caramel drizzle
Blueberry Pie (with 3 crusts!)
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Chocolate Eclair Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
French Silk Pie
(it's a fancy chocolate cream pie with chocolate crumb crust)
Grasshopper Pie
La Tarte aux Sauterelles Chocolate
(chocolate mint pie)
Lemon Meringue Pie
Minced Meat Pie with rum sauce
Pumpkin PieSnickerdoodles(What to make with the leftover pie crust)
OR, if you prefer to drool over recipes with pictures, see below:










Dutch Apple Pie with homemade caramel sauce










Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory TreatsSpinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms



Links to all Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats
Pie Crust
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pie
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cupcakes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Sticky Buns
Coconut Cream Pie
Coffee Cake
Danish Pastry Dough
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Almond Cake
Lemon Breakfast Cake
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Oreo Cheesecake
Oreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pumpkin Pie
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)
Thin Mint Truffles




* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

 

Granini's 
The Week of Pie!



So last year at Thanksgiving, I started a new tradition.

The Week of Pie!

Each year on Thanksgiving day, I eat (and eat and eat and eat) so much food that by the time dessert rolls around, I'm too darned stuffed to eat any pie. And that's just sad.

So I started thinking, what if we had pie every night for a whole week leading up to Thanksgiving? And what if it was a different pie each night?
That way, all of us would get a chance to eat our favorite pie, and none of our favorites would be omitted due to lack of space in the fridge, or room in our bellies.

It was a huge hit!

So here we are, year two, and I've compiled a list of my pies in one location for all y'all to enjoy.

Happy Week of Pie!

(More recipes to come!)

Pies
Pie Crust recipe & instructions
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie with homemade caramel sauce
Blueberry Pie Recipe
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Eclair Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
(Chocolate) French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
La tarte aux sauterelles chocolate
( Chocolate Mint Pie - I just made up the recipe!)
Lemon Meringue Pie
Mincemeat Pie with hot rum sauce
Pumpkin Pie
Snickerdoodles recipe & instructions

Pie Crust recipe & instructions


Snickerdoodles recipe & instructions




Traditional Apple Pie and
Caramel Sauce

         Dutch Apple Pie with  caramel sauce

  Blueberry Pie Recipe and Instructions (with pictures) Triple crust (there's one in the middle!).
Cherry Pie

Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Coconut Cream Pie 
French Silk Pie

Grasshopper Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie



Pumpkin Pie
Links to all Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats
Pie Crust
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pie
Caramel Sauce
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cupcakes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Sticky Buns
Coconut Cream Pie
Coffee Cake
Danish Pastry Dough
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Almond Cake
Lemon Breakfast Cake
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Oreo Cheesecake
Oreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pumpkin Pie
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)
Thin Mint Truffles


* * * * *
Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:


And tasty pie recipes here:


* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

 

It's time once again for 
THE WEEK OF PIE!!!
Thanksgiving is once again upon us, and Covid be darned, we're going to have the week of pie anyway.
This year's week of pie begins with this year's new favorite:
Granini's Pecan Shortbread Cheesecake Pumpkin Pie
Unbelievably delicious!
This recipe involves a pecan sandy inspired shortbread crust, a creamy cheesecake layer, a homemade pumpkin pudding layer, topped with whipped cream. The result is an incredibly flavorful, surprisingly light and delicious dessert with multiple textures and flavors with each layer. Delish!!!
I adapted this recipe from a pumpkin lasagna dessert by omgchocolatedesserts, and created this delicious and decadent treat. I have been craving it ever since I made it last month for a friend's Covid birthday party. She got a picture of the pie, and we ate it on her behalf. Not that we're counting, but we won.
Ingredients:
For the pecan shortbread crust:(which in our opinion tastes like pecan sandies)1 cup flour¼ cup brown sugar¼ teaspoon salt½ cup toasted and chopped pecans½ cup butter, very cold
For the cheesecake layer:1 cube cream cheese (8 ounces), softened1 cup powdered sugar, sifted1 cup Cool Whip
For the pumpkin layer:⅓ cup sugar2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch½ teaspoon salt2 cups half and half1 ½ teaspoons vanilla1 teaspoon cinnamon¼ teaspoon nutmeg1 small can Libby's pumpkin, 15 ounces
For the topping:1 cup Cool Whip¼ cup toasted pecans
Directions:Make the pecan shortbread dough for the crust. Preheat the oven to 350℉. In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. With your fingers, gently mix the pecans through the sifted ingredients. Using a cheese grater, grate in the cold butter. Gently work the dough together until the dough mostly holds together, without overworking the dough. Plunk the dough into a pie pan, and spread across the bottom of the pan and up the sides a bit. Bake for 15 minutes, and then place on a wire rack to cool completely.Make the pumpkin pudding layer. You will make this pumpkin pudding layer and allow it to cool while you make the cheesecake layer. The cheesecake layer will go on top of the crust layer, but by making the pudding layer first, you will allow it to cool while the rest of your dessert is being prepared. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in ⅓ of the half and half until smooth. Then whisk in the rest of the half and half. Cook over medium heat (if using an electric stove, you may need to go up to medium high), stirring constantly, until thickened (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to low and continue stirring gently and slowly until the mixture begins to simmer. Cook 1 more minute, not stirring, then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. By the spoonful, add in the full can of Libby's pumpkin. Stir to mix completely. Then place in the fridge while you make the cheesecake layer.Make the cheesecake layer. In a mixer, mix the cream cheese until smooth, light and fluffy. A little at a time, and on low, add in 1 cup of powdered sugar until the cream cheese mixture is very light and fluffy. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides, and whip up the mixture again. Fold in 1 cup of Cool Whip.Assemble your dessert. Spoon the cheesecake layer on top of the cooled pecan sandy shortbread crust. Spread evenly across the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides. Gently spoon on the pumpkin pudding layer, again, evenly spreading across the bottom of the pie plate and slightly up the sides. Top with a generous scooping of Cool Whip, and sprinkle the top with pecans. Place in the fridge if not eating immediately. For those of you who like pictures:
The baked pecan sandy shortbread crust.
The pumpkin pudding is really just homemade vanilla pudding with cinnamon in it...
And then add in a can of Libby's pumpkin.
Creamy cheesecake layer. Mmmmmm.
The heaven in a pie plate dessert extravaganza.
Sooooooo gooooood.


Enjoy!


For OTHER pie recipes, please click here:

Enjoy!
* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Cheesecake Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls
For a decadent breakfast treat!
Ingredients:
Bread Dough:
1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)1/4 cup warm water1 cup scalded milk2 Tablespoons shortening2 Tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon salt1 egg, beaten3 1/4 cups flour
Cinnamon Roll filling2 Tablespoons butter, melted¼ cup brown sugarthen½ cup butter, softened½ cup brown sugar¼ cup sugar1 cup raisins1 cup toasted pecans
Cheesecake:1 cube of cream cheese (8 oz), softened2 Tablespoons butter1 egg2 cups powdered sugar (less if you prefer it slightly less sweet), sifted¼ teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanilladash of cinnamon
Glaze: ¼ cup of the mixture above3 Tablespoons half & half or heavy cream
Directions:Soften the yeast in the warm water.To scald the milk: place milk in a reactive saucepan on medium high.  Allow the milk to come to a full simmer.  When the milk starts to climb the sides of the pan, pull it off the heat.Add shortening to the very hot milk.  Allow milk to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. (I generally put mine in the fridge to cool.)In a large mixing bowl, beat an egg.  Slowly add in the sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of the flour.  Slowly pour in the cooled milk, and mix in the remaining flour.Knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes.Lightly spray a clean, large mixing bowl with cooking spray.  Plunk your bread dough into the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to double.  Lightly spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour 2 Tablespoons of melted butter onto the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle ¼ cup of brown sugar over the entire bottom, creating a delicious base for your cinnamon rolls.Lightly flour your counter.  Roll the dough out into a large rectangle. Smear the entire surface with softened butter. Sprinkle brown sugar and white sugar over the entire surface. Sprinkle raisins and nuts over the top.Cut the dough into 9 even (approximately) squares.Carefully fold each section like an envelope so that each section has the sugar stuffing goodness tucked neatly inside. (See pictures below). I take two of the corners and pinch them together. Then I pinch the connecting sides together. Then I take the next corner, pinch it to the middle, and then pinch that side together. Then lastly I fold the top of the 'envelop' down, and pinch the last two sides together.Once your pocket is fully formed, plump it slightly into a ball, and place it seam side down onto your prepared 9x13 pan.Repeat with the remaining 8 pieces of dough, spacing the balls relatively evenly inside your dish.Allow the dough to rest and rise for 30 minutes. While the dough is resting, prepare your cheesecake batter.In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.Add in the egg, and mix thoroughly.Sift your powdered sugar with the salt and cinnamon and add it in slowly to your mixer.Add in the vanilla. If the mixture is extremely thick, add in 1 teaspoon of half & half, milk, or cream and blend until smooth.Take out ¼ cup of the mixture and set aside.Once your dough has risen for 1/2 an hour, with a clean, dry spoon, carefully make a divot into each of the cinnamon roll balls.With a large spoon, plop a nice sized blop of cheesecake filling into each divot.Bake at 375˚ for 20-25 minutes or so, or until lightly golden brown.Prepare your glaze.In a small mixing bowl, take ¼ cup of the cheesecake batter, add a dash of cinnamon, and 3 Tablespoons of half & half. Stir until the mixture is very smooth and light. It should cover the back of a spoon. Add more half & half as needed to make it not too thick.When the buns come out of the oven, take a pastry brush and paint the tops of all the rolls with the glaze.Serve while warm. Try not to eat all of them, all by yourself, in one setting. If you do ever happen to have any leftover, which has happened, I think, maybe, just once, they are quite tasty and delicious the next morning for breakfast. Serve them either room temperature or warmed slightly in the microwave with a little bowl of fresh berries.  Or just by themselves. Naked. The rolls, not you.  Just sayin'.
For those of you who like pictures with your instructions, here you go!

Cut your dough into 9 pieces and then fold like envelopes, so that all the goodness is on the inside.
Take the two bottom corners, bring them up, and pinch together. Then pinch together the seam.
Pull down the next corner and pinch it into the first two corners.Pinch the seam together.
Make sure everything is pinched together nicely.
It's ready for the last corner to come down like an envelope lid.
Flip the last corner down to the center. Pinch it in with the other three corners.Then pinch together the two sides.
Everything is pinched together now!
 So then flip the whole thing upside down (seam side down), and kind of shape the whole thing into a ball.
The stuffed ball.
Place the ball into the pan with the rest of the stuffed balls. Don't worry if some are slightly smaller than others. Put the smaller ones in toward the center of the pan. Let them rise for about ½ an hour.
They have risen a wee bit, and are ready to put a divot into the top.
Fill each of the divots with the cheesecake filling.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. (These are a wee bit more done than I normally like them, but the glaze will prevent them from being too crunchy.)
Cover with the glaze, and serve while hot.
Oh my goodness, just look at all that tasty stuff oozing out from inside!
Ooooooooh.
Yummmmmmmm!



* * * * *
I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!
Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Writing a Character's Backstory

So whilst we're in Covid-19 lock down, I've been tackling a variety of projects around the house. That's what I'm telling folks. But honestly, I've just been baking, eating, cooking, eating, playing with the puppy, eating, ignoring housework, eating, helping out the in-laws while my father-in-law recovers from heart surgery, eating, watching television, eating, making a couple of baby quilts (which are a super duper cute), eating, dealing with pesky doctors and MRIs, eating, and mulling over some background plot ideas for Book 2.5, the love story between my main character Jack Diamond and the love of his life, Claire Wilcox. Oh, and eating.

So several people along the way have asked me how I come up with my characters' back stories. And honestly, the majority of the time I truly don't know. They just sort of come out. I'll be merrily writing along, and the next thing I know, I'm jotting down info about where Nick Buchanan went to school, and the fact that he had a baby sister, and his football career, and so forth. It just writes itself, and I don't really think about it. Honestly. Things just write themselves right out of my fingertips, and sometimes I'm just as surprised as you are when you read them.

But I've been mulling things over about my sweet Claire, and I have to give her back story a great deal of care and thought.

I know how Claire met Ron Wilcox and his daughter. That much has been obvious to me since the very beginning. I know why Ron Wilcox is an alcoholic. 

I know where Claire and Jack Diamond meet.

I know what Claire does for a living, and I know one of her co-workers.

But I had to think about Claire and her house where she grew up, and her folks and wondering if she had any siblings.

And I had to think about why she decided to become a cosmetic surgeon, specializing in pediatric facial reconstruction.

And this morning as I was lounging about in bed, not wanting to face the world because today is housecleaning day, I started thinking about Claire's background.

And several scenarios started making their way through my thought processes.

To take it back a step, Jack Diamond had a very violent past. Much of this is hashed out in books 1 and 2, so I won't bore you with it here. And when I was writing Book 2 I had to reconcile the problems with Jack's violent past with Jack's adorable and lovely Granini. How did she not know? Why didn't she try to fix it? Was Granini Jack's father's mother? or his mother's mother? That reconciliation caused a great deal of time and grief and tender care when writing Book 2.

So now it's time for Claire's back story. I don't even know if it's going to appear in Book 2.5, but I have to know what it is in order to figure out who she is, and how she came to be that way.

Do I want her to have an equally challenging childhood so that she can Jack can bond over trauma?

Do I want her to have an innocent and carefree childhood free of all the drama? Would someone like that be someone strong enough to be a mate for Jack?

And how did she get interested in facial reconstruction?

So I started playing out several different scenarios in my mind:

*Abusive father:
Mother gives birth to baby boy with a cleft palate. Father is livid at his son's 'deformity.' He kills the boy, kills the mother, and goes to kill Claire, but she kills him.

Too violent.

*Sexually abusive father:
Mother gives birth to baby boy with a cleft palate. Father is livid at his son's 'deformity.' He kills the mother, strangles the boy with his own umbilical cord, and goes to kill Claire. BUT, Claire's older sister, whom the father has been sexually abusing for all these years, grabs a pair of scissors and kills him first.

And as much as I love the evil thought of the horrible man strangling his own 'defective' son with his umbilical cord, trying to pass the murder off as a 'natural' accidental death, the whole scenario is just way too violent.

And honestly, blech! Who wants to read about child sexual abuse?!!!? It's bad enough that it happens in the real world. Why does it have to happen in my books?

*Accidental death
Claire's mother gives birth to a baby boy who is born with a cleft palate. The birth is quick, and at home in the middle of the night. There's so much blood and it happens so fast, that everyone is caught of guard. Claire's father runs out of the room to grab a pair of sharp scissors to cut the umbilical cord. Claire's older sister wakes up. She asks her daddy what's wrong. He quickly tries to explain that everything's okay and he tells her to go back to bed. Claire sleeps through the whole thing. Claire's mom cries out for help. Claire's dad turns to run to get back to Claire's mom. He trips on the rug in the hallway. He lands on the very sharp scissors he's carrying and bleeds to death in the hallway. Claire's mom bleeds to death in the bedroom. And Claire's baby brother dies before medical attention can arrive.

This super sad story may be the one I go for.
It serves multiple purposes.

1. Both of Claire's parents are dead. Both of Jack's parents are dead. Even though Jack's father was horribly abusive, and Claire's was not, being an orphan does connect them to each other in a way that most young 20 somethings don't have in common.

2. This storyline means that Claire now needs to be raised by someone other than her parents. I don't know if it will be a family friend, an aunt, or a grandparent. But being raised by someone in a loving home is truly important to both Claire's and Jack's positive upbringing. Without the positive influences, both Claire and Jack could end up having significantly different personalities. I want these two to have complicated childhood backgrounds that gives each of them compassion and a mission to do better. This positive upbringing by someone other than her parents also endears Granini to Claire, which adds to the benefit of this story line.

3. Claire's baby brother being born with a cleft palate could easily become the motivation that Claire needs to become a surgeon who repairs birth defects. She has a soft spot for babies and young children with birth defects, or those who suffer from facial deformities due to accidents, and for the parents and siblings who care for these children. These two facts will then explain how she becomes motivated to become a surgeon and why she falls in love so dearly with Ron Wilcox's daughter, and has a soft spot for Ron, himself.

4. This story line now gives Claire an older sister. Which I didn't even know was a possibility. An older, lovely sister. And now I get to go and mull about Claire's older sister and find out how she turns out. Will she be a lovely person? Will she be productive and amazing and inspirational? Or will she be sad and depressed and go down a dark hole and be someone Claire is embarrassed to call her sister? Oh, I say let's go positive. Today I'm in a happy mood. I don't want any more darkness. There's soooo much darkness in this world.

So.

That's how I start thinking about characters' backstories. It's long and complicated and will end up being given more thought along the way. But this is how it starts.

And that's it for today. I'm going to go eat some strawberries.



* * * * *I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too! Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)Currently writing:
Book 2.5: Yet to be named: Jack and Claire's love story


* * * * *

Granini's Orange Cranberry Pecan Scones

Yum!

Ingredients
⅓ cup melted butter, cooled
¾ cup half & half, slightly warmed
2 cups flour
¼ plus 2 tablespoons sugar (you'll need 2 more tablespoons later)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cardamom (I think it could have used more. I'm going to try 1 teaspoon next time)
½ cup candied pecans, roughly chopped
½ cup craisins, roughly chopped
2 clementine oranges, zested (you'll need one more). [You'll need roughly 2 tablespoons of zest, but don't bother with the measuring spoon. A rough guestimate is fine.] *And, yes, you can substitute oranges. I just don't happen to have oranges lying around, and my fridge always has clementines. So whatever. Honestly. This recipe is completely adaptable.
1 piece of parchment paper & a cookie sheet

For the topping:
1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 clementine orange, zested. [You'll need roughly 1 tablespoon of zest, but again, don't bother with the measuring spoon. A rough guestimate is fine.]

I adapted & fidgeted with a recipe from epicurious (click here for original recipe) that called for apricots (blech) and lemon (which I didn't have). It also called for heavy whipping cream which I also didn't have. I'd blame Covid, but frankly, I almost never have heavy whipping cream on hand.

Frankly, you could probably add in any dried fruits and/or nuts that suited your fancy, or whatever you happened to have in your pantry, and you'd make a pretty darned tasty scone.

I've made scones before, but they haven't always turned out. Often they weren't sweet enough. Or they were a bit stodgy. This time, however, they were quite delicious. I think adding a wee bit of sugar on top really helped to sweeten them up without ruining the dough. I hope you enjoy!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 415℉.
2. Melt butter and allow to cool to room temperature, without solidifying.
3. Heat up your half & half so that it's warm, but not hot.
4. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom.
5. Stir in the chopped pecans, craisins, and orange zest.
6. Carefully mix together the cooled melted butter and the half & half in a bowl. If the two do not want to mix together on their own, use an immersion blender to encourage the marriage.
7. Pour the butter and half & half blended mixture into the dry ingredients.
8. Very carefully, stir the ingredients together. You do not want to overmix, or the scones will be chewy and dense and stodgy. Only mix until all the dry ingredients have been moistened.
9. Form the dough into a large ball and pat it down until it's roughly 1 inch thick. Slice into 12 pieces. Or, maybe into 8 pieces. 12 pieces makes small scones. I think I honestly prefer larger scones. But hey, whatevs. This recipe is adaptable, remember??
10. Put a piece of parchment paper onto a cookie sheet.
11. Carefully transfer the scones onto the cookie sheet, leaving a wee bit of room between each of the scones. They will expand while baking. But I did find that all 12 of them fit onto one cookie sheet. I just alternated the way they were facing to make them fit (see picture below).
12. In a small bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons of sugar with 1 Tablespoon of orange zest.
13. Melt 1 ½ tablespoons of butter.
14. Gently brush melted butter on top of each scone.
15. Sprinkle sugar/zest onto each scone. I found there was ample sugar for each scone to get a rather liberal sprinkle.
16. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
17. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool slightly (or completely) before serving.

Next time, I think I'd like to make some lemon curd to serve alongside with the scones. I've heard of clotted cream being served with scones too, but I've never had nor made clotted cream. Perhaps I should look into that.

Anywhoooooo, the scones did NOT last long. They're tasty and delicious and yum.

I hope you enjoy!!

See pictures below.
Making the sugar orange zest for the topping

Dry ingredients all mixed together.

Added in the milk and melted butter.

Formed into a ball and patted down to 1 inch thick. Ish. It's not as if I get out the ruler and check.

 Cut into 12 pieces. Immediately regretting not cutting into 8 pieces for bigger scones. There are 4 of us living here now. I think two apiece sounds good. Three each feels a bit guilty. Hmmm.


Brush with butter. I wonder what they'd taste like without the butter. Hmmm. Something to try.
Sprinkle some of that sugar orange zest onto each one.
Ready for the oven.
Mmmmmm, boy howdy that looks amazing. SOOO hard to wait until they were cooler to eat!!!
Deliciousness on my plate. Yummm!!



* * * * *I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too! Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)Currently writing:
Book 2.5: Yet to be named: Jack and Claire's love story


* * * * *

Granini's Cheesy Biscuits
I've been making biscuits for a gajillion years.  They're incredibly easy to make, and are so very simple that they're hard to screw up.  Not only do we eat them with breakfast (biscuits and gravy!), and dinner (soup and biscuits), but sometimes I sweeten them up with a bit of powdered sugar, and we eat them for dessert as a 'base' for strawberry shortcake.  We've also been known to eat them for snack time, sliced in half, and toasted with melted sharp cheddar cheese.

BUT THEN...

I got addicted to Kashmiri chili powder. There's a long story there... but needless to say, I started putting it in everything.

So I've adapted my original biscuit recipe, and turned it into a cheesy biscuit recipe, and the kiddos and the hubster LOVE them. This morning I made them to go with mushroom gravy and scrambled eggs. Delish!!!

Ingredients:
5 Tablespoons butter (unsalted) or margarine1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's original creole seasoning
½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 3/4 cups flour2/3 to 3/4 cups buttermilk
** I truly do prefer these biscuits using buttermilk, rather than milk.  However, I very rarely remember to save any buttermilk aside after having made my buttermilk pancakes.  But if and when I happen to have buttermilk just hanging around in my fridge, I use it.  If I don't have any, I use regular milk, but then I add in 3 teaspoons of lemon juice (sounds weird, but I promise, it works), and the biscuits are still quite delicious!  I promise.  It won't be the end of the world if you don't happen to have any buttermilk.  No need to dash off to the store just to make these biscuits.  And, just to be honest, 9 times out of 10, I make them without the buttermilk.  They're just über delicious with the buttermilk.  Just sayin'.
Directions:
Using a pastry knife, cut the butter, salt, baking powder, and flour together until the mixture looks like course oatmeal.Pour milk over the mixture.Using a fork, using as few strokes as possible, slowly stir the mixture together until a dough ball forms.  Sprinkle a little flour onto a surface area.Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured working area.Gently roll the dough to about an inch and a quarter thick.  When I'm in a hurry, I just pat the dough flat, skipping the rolling pin altogether.  Why wash another thing?  I'm lazy, I know.Lightly flour a biscuit cutter and cut the biscuits out, and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.Bake at 390° for 12 to 15 minutes, or until very lightly golden brown.  Best served while hot.  But they're VERY tasty when they're room temperature too.

Oh yeah.  That's just mouth waterin' goodness, right there.  Try them with Granini's Biscuits and Gravy.  With super cheesy scrambled eggs.  Mmmmmm.
What's that? You want the recipe for my biscuits and gravy?  Why, of course!!  You can find the recipe here: Granini's Biscuits & Gravy
And here's the link to my original biscuits recipe: Granini's Biscuits
Enjoy!
* * * * *I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too! Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)Currently writing:
Book 2.5: Yet to be named: Jack and Claire's love story


* * * * *

Granini's Monkey Bread



Much better!!

The first time I made monkey bread, it was a complete disaster. The biscuit dough was too mealy. The dough didn't cook all the way through. I filled the pan way too full. The syrupy goodness dripped down into the au gratin potatoes that were baking on the shelf beneath the monkey bread. The bread was way too salty, and no one liked it. Super duper sad.

So, I took what I learned, and WOW, what a difference!

This time I used my dinner roll recipe for the dough, used half unsalted and half salted butter for the caramel sauce, and mmmmm boy howdy it was delicious!!

So here you go!



Ingredients:For the dough:
1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)1/4 cup warm water1 cup scalded milk2 Tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted, doesn't matter)2 Tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon salt1 egg, beaten3 1/4 cups flour
Sprinkles:1 cup sugar (next time I'm going to use ¼ cup sugar and ¾ cup brown sugar)2 teaspoons cinnamon (next time I'll add 3 teaspoons)¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Sauce:¼ cup maple syrup3/4 cup brown sugar2 teaspoons cinnamon½ cup melted butter (unsalted)½ cup melted butter (salted)
Directions:Sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water. Give it a vigorous whisk, and allow to sit for about 5 minutes.To scald the milk: place milk in a reactive (a metal pan, rather than a nonstick one) saucepan on medium high.  Allow the milk to come to a full simmer.  When the milk starts to climb the sides of the pan, pull it off the heat.Add butter to the very hot milk.  Allow milk to cool for about 10 minutes. I usually put mine in the fridge to cool.Add the sugar and salt. Whisk around. Add in the egg and whisk thoroughly.Add ½ cup of the flour and stir completely.  Slowly pour in the milk, and stir. Mix in the remaining flour.Turn on your oven to 400℉.Knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes.Lightly spray a clean, large bundt cake pan with cooking spray.  Make sure to coat all the nooks and crannies.No, I did not let my dough proof in an oven. I was, however, busy making breakfast, so it probably sat on the counter for 14 minutes or so.Split the dough into small pieces. About 1 to 1 ½ inches square or so. No need to be exact. No need to roll them into balls. Just chop them roughly around that size.Mix your cinnamon sugar and nutmeg together in a medium sized bowl.Drop each of your small pieces of bread dough into the cinnamon sugar and toss them around, coating all the sides.Plunk the cinnamon sugar pieces into your bundt pan, placing them roughly fairly evenly around the inside of your dish.After each layer (or just every once in a while), sprinkle an additional handful of cinnamon sugar over the whole section of bread dough, just to give the dough even more of the cinnamon sugar goodness.Melt the butters together and stir to make sure the butter is completely melted. Add in the syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Stir until it is a thick gooey delicious looking texture.Pour the cinnamon sugar syrupy caramel sauce over the top of the cinnamon bread chunks.Pop the bundt pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or so, or until the whole top is lovely and medium brown. After 24 minutes, keep an eye on it. This is rather tricky. You don't want the caramel to burn, but you don't want the bread to be under baked. So keep an eye on it.When the monkey bread is ready to come out of the oven, you're not going to let it rest in the pan it baked in. You're going to go ahead and pop it right out onto its plate.Get a cake plate or a wooden cutting board or a serving dish that is slightly larger than your bundt pan. Using hot pads, very carefully flip your bundt cake upside down (invert it), and lift off the pan. Fingers crossed, and the whole thing will pop out of your pan easily, the underside lovely and caramelized, and your kitchen smelling like heaven.Allow the monkey bread to cool slightly so that your fingers and your tongue do not suffer third degree burns when you dip in. If any of the caramel oozes off the sides, feel free to use a rubber spatula to schlop the goodness back onto the top of your bread.When the monkey bread comes out correctly, you should be able to dip your fingers inside and pull out lovely chunks of caramelized bread bits. Like bite sized sticky buns. And boy howdy, is it scrumpdillyicious!!
For those of you who like pictures, here you go:



At this point, the bundt pan was barely more than ½ full -- definitely not even 3/4 of the way filled, but I was all out of dough. I honestly thought there wouldn't be enough dough in the pan, and I regretted not making a second batch of dough. But honestly, it was more than plenty!!! The dough rose beautifully in the oven, and baked to perfection.


I thought it looked a wee bit too dark around the edges, but I'd only baked it for about 29 minutes at this point. But it was lovely. I think for me, it might have been better after 28 minutes. I wanted to make sure the insides were baked all the way through.
 Look at that lovely monkey bread!!! HEAVEN!


This is what my monkey bread looked like no more than 12 minutes later. We put the cutting board in the middle of the table, and each of us grabbed a fork. We sat on opposite sides of the table and systematically pulled little pieces off, put them onto our dessert plates, and nibbled. WOW. What a treat!
We obviously decimated the entire thing. My daughter claimed that this new treat was like eating the insides of cinnamon rolls -- all the nice and gooey parts, without the hard crusty outer pieces. My husband, in between happy mmms, said he'd like a wee bit more cinnamon. And when I mentioned that I have a recipe for a savory version of monkey bread, my son said he'd like to eat a garlic parmesan version of the bread. So, I'll definitely be making this again!!!
How might I improve the recipe for next time?
Next time I'm going to roll the pieces in brown sugar and cinnamon (rather than regular sugar and cinnamon), like I normally do when I make cinnamon rolls. I will also add more cinnamon. I may also add in some toasted pecans. And perhaps I'll try not using the maple syrup. I like my caramel sauce nice and sticky, and the maple syrup really did the trick. But when I make cinnamon rolls, I don't use maple syrup. I don't really need to, since the brown sugar and the butter melt together in a lovely way to create a caramel sauce. So, I'll give that a whirl and see if I can perfect the recipe. But honestly, this was pretty darned terrific. The whole thing was decimated in about 12 minutes. Clearly, we liked it!
Alrighty then, until next time!
I'm off to go work on Book 2.5, Jack and Claire's love story.
Who are Jack and Claire? Jack Diamond is a Detective for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, who stars as the protagonist in the Jack Diamond Murder Mystery series. Claire is a pediatric cosmetic surgeon who repairs birth defects and specializes in reconstruction after traumatic injuries. They fell in love in college. After years of separation due to work, marriage, murder and life, they finally find their way back to each other.

You can read all about them in Diamonds for Diamond and No One Noticed. They'll also both appear in Book 3 -- a yet to be named book about a massive casualty shooting on a pedestrian bridge in Portland, Oregon.

Click on the links below and get started. Amazon will ship them to you, or you can download and read the e-book versions now!
What are you waiting for? Go get the books now!
* * * * *I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too! Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)
* * * * *

Granini's Au Gratin Potatoes
or as my favorite father-in-law calls them,
Baked cheesy goodness with some potatoes


Ingredients:5 to 6 medium sized potatoes.3 Tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted. Either works)3 Tablespoons flour3 cups ½ and ½ 1 ½ cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated1 to 2 teaspoons Lawry's Seasoned Salt½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)A nice sprinkle of regular paprika (optional)

*I typically use yellow potatoes, but red potatoes will work too. I'm not a big fan of using russet potatoes (baked potatoes) for any recipes except for baked potatoes and twice baked potatoes. But that's just me.
Directions:1. Lightly spray a 9x13 or 8x11 glass baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. Preheat the oven to 350℉.

3. Fill a medium to large pot with hot water, sprinkle in some salt, and bring the water to a boil. While the water is heating up, start peeling your potatoes.

4. Peel all your potatoes.

5. Using a mandolin, thickly slice all your potatoes into evenly sliced pieces. If you don't have a mandoline, just do your very best to get the potatoes as evenly sliced as possible. 

My mandoline looks a bit like this. It is one of my newest, and most favorite, kitchen gadgets. Particularly when it comes to making au gratin potatoes.

6. Now. Here's a trick. When you're putting your potatoes into the boiling water, try to feed the potatoes into the water ONE AT A TIME, but do it quickly. One of the biggest hurdles with au gratin potatoes is having either potatoes that are underbaked and raw and nasty, or, having potatoes that are stuck to each other and thus not cooked properly and not coated with cheesy goodness. Boil the potatoes for about 8 to 10 minutes or so. It's more of a par boil than a true, boiled all-the-way-through kind of situation. You want them mostly boiled, but not so over boiled that they fall apart when you pour them into your baking dish. Once they're done boiling, drain them in a sieve and let them sit there and kinda hang out until your sauce is done.

7. While the potatoes are boiling, you can get your cheesy sauce going.

8. Grate all your cheeses and set aside.

9. In a large skillet with deep sides, melt your butter on medium to low heat. Turn the heat down to low and add your flour, and whisk together, allowing the flour and butter to cook together for a good 5 minutes or so. DO NOT cook the flour and butter on medium or high heat, or you may end up burning your flour and making the whole mess turn brown and taste nasty. Low to medium heat is the trick here.

10. Pour your half & half (you can use milk or cream, but I prefer half & half) into a small sauce pan and allow your cream to heat up a bit on medium to medium high. Don't allow it to boil.

11. Once your flour and butter mixture has cooked for several minutes, sprinkle on the Lawry's seasoned salt, and the (optional) smoked paprika. Then, slowly, a little at a time, pour in a little tiny bit of your heated half & half, using a whisk to bring the mixture together. Do not pour all of your half & half in all at once, or you risk the chance of getting lumps. Low heat, a little at a time. That's the trick here. Once all the half & half is mixed in, raise the temperature of the sauce to medium, or medium high. Bring the mixture to a slight boil, and then turn the sauce back down to low. Raising the temperature will allow the sauce to thicken up. Add in the cheeses, stir, and then turn off the heat.

12. Once the cheesy sauce is done, bring out your lightly sprayed baking dish. Ladle a layer of cheesy goodness onto the bottom of the baking dish. Then add a layer of your potatoes. I tend to slightly stir a wee bit, to try to make sure all the potatoes are covered in cheesy goodness. Ladle another spoonful of cheesy goodness over the top. Then add in another layer of potatoes. Repeat as necessary until all of the potatoes are covered in cheesy goodness. On the very top, sprinkle very lightly with paprika. Bake at 350℉ for about 40-45 minutes or so, or until the potatoes are bubbly and the cheesy mixture is browning lightly on the top.

I usually serve my au gratin potatoes with thick ham slices, deviled eggs, roasted asparagus or my green beans, and my glazed carrots.

Mmmmmmm.



* * * * *I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too! Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed
(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)
* * * * *