Sweet Treats with Peggy

Today is National Sandwich Day!!  I thought about making a literal sandwich and putting something sweet inside, i.e., Nutella, chocolate or honey.  I changed my mind and decided to stick with the theme of this blog and go all out with a sweet baked good.  I have some candied ginger in my pantry that has been there awhile.  I saw it at Trader Joe's and decided to buy it.  The problem is I couldn't think of how to use it.  Even though today is an abnormally warm day at 71 degrees, it is still Fall.  When I think of Fall baking I think of warm flavors such as ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.  To stick with the sandwich theme, how about Ginger cookies sandwiched with a spicy whipped cream. I chopped the candied ginger into small pieces and added it to the ginger cookie batter.   I tweaked this recipe by using less sugar to compensate for the candied ginger but I did not add any more salt because I used unsalted butter.  These are literally one of the tastiest cookies I

Every year I have to guess how much Halloween candy to buy.  It didn't use to be that way.  I lived in a very large neighborhood in a small town for 18 years.  You know, the kind of neighborhood where the parents drove to the end of your street from other parts of town, or even out of town.  We had hundreds of kids (I'm not kidding).  I have moved a couple of times since then so when Halloween rolls around, I have to guess.  This is my second Halloween living in a very large apartment complex.  Last year I bought candy, thinking that I would get a lot of kids.  I didn't get even one single trick or treater.

Today is National Chocolate Day!  There are a lot of specific chocolate days throughout the year, but this day is a day for whatever chocolate you want to eat.  This cookie is so chocolately and delicious.  It's not too sweet and goes perfectly with a hot drink.  I can see me (and, of course you) on a freezing cold, snowy winter day with a plate of these chocolate biscotti and (for me) a nice hot cup of tea.  I almost took a picture of how much I trashed my kitchen making this dessert.  Usually, I clean up as I go.  But, I made this particular recipe at 12:30 in the morning.  I did not ice the bottoms until the next morning.  Let me tell you, it wasn't a pretty site to walk into.  These are well worth it though :)

I love to watch television shows about food, especially shows about baking (of course).  One of my favorite shows was  DC Cupcakes .  When I heard that Sophie and Katherine were going to be at the  Willow Books & Cafe  in Acton, MA, I was there!!  I've only been to one other book signing prior to this (Jodi Picoult in Boston, with my sister).  I've since learned they are all run differently.  If you are interested, do the research ahead of time.  At Willow Books you have to buy the book ahead of time so that you receive a low number.  When you get there, you can sit wherever you want and listen to their talk.  Then you are called by a small group of numbers to get in line to have your book signed.  I think I was in the second group.  It was a really fun thing to do and I was able to talk with Sophie and Katherine for a minute or so.  They even brought sample cupcakes for everyone to try. YUM! 

October 1st is National Homemade Cookie Day!!  I haven't baked in a long time due to healthy eating and fear of eating what I would bake.  When I saw that today was National Homemade Cookie Day, I thought it would be the perfect time to pull out all my baking stuff and make some cookies.   I am visiting Megan tomorrow at her college (actually I am picking her up at the University of Hartford and we are driving to Providence, RI to see Josh Groban in concert (be still my heart), staying overnight in a hotel and driving her back to school.  This is the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.  I can honor this great National Day AND bring Megan some cookies.  As I have mentioned in other posts, I have an overabundance of jams and I like to find ways to incorporate them into baking.  Shortbread is one of my favorite types of cookie.  Just add some poppy seeds and yummy jam and you have yourself a great cookie.  How about you pull out all your baking stuff and make so

I have lived in my apartment over a year and, little by little, I have been exploring the area of North Andover/Andover, MA.  The other day I read that it was the first day of the season for corn.  I waited until Ryan came home from work and we headed off to  about 3 or 4 farm/farm stands.  Some were better than others.  I can imagine what they will be like in the Fall.  Our favorite was  Smolak Farms   in North Andover.  They had such a cute shop that had lots of specialty food items, homemade donuts and ice cream, etc..  I was able to taste  their homemade strawberry jam and I was immediately hooked.  I have been collecting different jams lately from   Stonewall Kitchen, York, ME .  Those samples will get you every time.  As soon as I tasted the strawberry jam, I knew I had to get it and make a yummy dessert.  I found a recipe online from    Recipe Girl , which I have adapted.  Enjoy this buttery, sweet, fruity bar.