Christmas and Holiday Gift Idea: Sugar Cookies and Tea

Sugar cookies and tea...there couldn't be a lovelier combination.

Christmas is a time for cozy and warm moments.  Why not give your friends a bake-at-home roll of sugar cookie dough and some loose leaf tea as a gift this year? Ready for baking and brewing, the classic combo of tea and cookies will delight both young and old.

I love tea and usually go for Mariage Freres teas. This year, I decided to go to a local tea shop, Spike's Coffee and Tea in the Castro. My sister reminded me of their great tea selection and friendly service. She was right, Trevor, who was on duty, was patient and helpful, even though the customers kept streaming through the door. Although I kept adding flavors, the bill was still reasonable and the packaging was lovely.

I purchased six quarter pound bags of loose leaf tea, including Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchang, Chai, Russian Caravan and Moroccan Mint. Depending on each of my friends' tastes, I will chose a tea to include with the cookie dough.If you can, grab some actual tea filters or a tea strainer to include in the gift. Some friends may get a few small bags of each flavor of tea

Here's a link to brewing the perfect cup of tea, as per Twinings of London. You may want to include the link with the recipe below so you're friends can make the best cup of tea ever. You can also add a jar of frosting, or a copy of the recipe.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

Sugar Cookies and Tea Gift Set

(All pictures are cookies made with standard all-purpose white flour. You can replace white flour with Gluten Free Pantry's All Purpose Flour Mix)

Make the dough:

You can find the dough recipe here.

Instead of baking right away,  wrap the dough into 4 portions into waxed paper logs, tie with ribbon and refrigerate.

Include these instructions with the roll of cookie dough:

1. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.
2. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a 375 degree preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
3. Frost (recipe here) and serve with a cup of brewed tea.

French Toast for All

My daughter loves french toast. When she was about 6 years old, she got a kids cookbook for her birthday. I had never successfully made french toast when she asked me if we could give the recipe in her book a try.

I was worried that it wouldn't work out, but she was very encouraging. So I persevered, and we made the recipe. Imagine my delight (and hers, too) when three perfect slices emerged from the pan on the stove. I still remember my feeling of relief (and pride) tha I have managed to master french toast.  Although I do cook a lot, I have certain things that always give me trouble: baking, frozen veggies and, until that day, french toast.

7 years later, I'm an old pro, even breaking out french toast for an early morning school day treat. I've even made it for myself using almond or rice milk and gluten-free bread. Take that difficult recipe....I have triumphed!

French Toast for One

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup Milk (you can use Rice or Almond Milk instead)
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 slices Bread (regular wheat bread, or gluten-free rice bread like Udi's)
• Butter for cooking

Method:

• In a shallow pie pan, mix all of the ingredients.
• Heat a flat griddle or pan on high heat.
• Soak each individual piece of bread until coated in the mixture.
• Lower the heat to medium, and add a pat of butter to the pan.
• Once the butter has melted, take one of your soaked pieces of bread to the pan.
• Cook on each side for about 2 minutes, turning the toast over only once you see the edges of the egg coating beginning to brown.
• Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.

*only the regular bread version is pictured, no gluten-free picture available!

Project Food Blog: Ready Set Blog

Gran Fran and Ms. Iz

Why Me? I'm Awesome.....

I know. Right? Can you believe I had the nerve to say that? Here is my very good reason.....

foodbuzz.com is hosting a food blogging contest and wants to know why I deserve to be the next food blogging star. So, I figured, I'll start with a very bold statement and take it from there.

In reality, though, it's not about me, really, though that's always fun. It's really about the content, the soul of the writing and what people take away from my posts.

Going out on a limb here to state that my writing is funny, smart and educates those who read it. Being raised alongside tomes by Julia Child, The Chicago Manual of Style and all of the works of Dr. Seuss -- especially Green Eggs and Ham, I honed my writing skills.  I want to convey the essence of what it feels like for me to cook, to serve friends and family and most important, to create. My passion for food is equal to my passion for fun, so my kitchen is a lively place where friends and family come to meet.

The recipes I post are based upon (or fully lifted from) my mother's kitchen. She is known as Gran Fran, along with my dad, just known as Joe, they have 11 grandkids.  Her sense of flavor and adventurous nature in the kitchen allowed me and my four siblings to get an education in the kitchen that not many of our friends got.

Growing up in the 1970s in Queens, NY, we were a large family with two working parents. The recipes Gran Fran shared with us (over the phone from her office in very low almost inaudible tones for fear her office mates would hear her conveying a prized roast beef recipe to one of us) we're still using today and passing them onto our own children. The key was to always use fresh ingredients, make as much as you could from scratch, and experiment here and there with old favorites.

My initial intention in starting the blog was to continue the story lines Gran Fran had laid out in her own blog, which she had stopped updating for awhile. As time went by, my blog became more about how I incorporate these family favorites into my life. I'm a single parent, so my budget is tight, but I've always lived by the same rules as my parents did when it comes to food. I cook most of our meals, and maintain the ideal of most-things-made-from-scratch.

I am not here to preach to those who do not enjoy cooking. Rather, this blog is to shine some light on the ease and fun that I find in cooking and to inspire others. The joy I have in recounting events of the day or how my meal turned out, or a memory the dish I just made evokes, is enough of a prize.

But, to be considered the Next Food Blogging Star would be a terrific bonus. I deserve the title because of my passion for cooking, the quality of my recipes, the long reach of my stories, and the love my family has for cooking.

So, please, starting Monday, September 20th, click on the badge to the right (the one with my lovely face on it) and vote for me!!!

ps: My little girl is my real reason for pursuing anything at all :)