sorry!

So, I can't seem to find those cutting boards in stores anymore. Sorry about the delay. I will get them to you as soon as I can. Thanks for being patient!

and the winners are...

Lincoln and Laura were right on with guesses of 10. Congratulations! I'll send those cutting boards out to you this week, so if you want specific colors let me know soon. I'll send two to each of you. Thanks for guessing!

yum

We had pesto pasta tonight for dinner, which is a pretty light dinner, so I thought I'd look into my new cookbook for a good Italian bread to go along with it. I found the following recipe:

Rosemary Focaccia

from Baking Illustrated

makes one 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 inch rectangle or two 8-inch rounds

Dough

1 medium baking potato (about 9 oz.), peeled and quartered

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

3 1/2 cups (17 1/2 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl and pan

1 1/4 tsp. salt

Topping

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves

3/4 tsp. course sea salt or 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1. For the dough: Bring 1 quart water to a boil in a small saucepan; add the potato and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the potato well; cool until it can be handled comfortably; press it through the fine disk on a ricer or grate through the large holes on a box grater. Reserve 1 1/3 cups lightly packed potato.

2. Meanwhile, using a standing mixer or food processor, mix or process yeast with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup warm water until combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (or put the work bowl lid on) and set aside until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Add the remaining dough ingredients, including reserved potato. If using mixer, attach the paddle and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium; continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. For the food processor, process until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 40 seconds.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free area until the dough is puffy and doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. With wet hands (to prevent sticking), press the dough flat into a generously oiled 15 1/2 by 10 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet. If the dough resists going into the corners (and it probably will), cover it with a damp cloth and let it relax for 15 minutes before trying to stretch again. Or, if making rounds, halve the dough and flatten each piece into an 8-inch round on a large (at least 18 inches long), generously oiled baking sheet. Either way, cover the dough with lightly greased or oil-sprayed plastic wrap; let rise in a warm, draft-free area until the dough is puffy and doubled in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. With two wet fingers, dimple the risen dough at regular intervals. The dimples (there should be about 2 dozen) should be deep enough to hold small pieces of topping, herbs, and pools of olive oil.

6. For the topping: Drizzle the dough with the oil and sprinkle evenly with the rosemary and coarse salt, landing some in pools of oil.

7. Bake until the bottom crust is golden brown and crisp, 23-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Cut rectangular focaccia into squares or round focaccia into wedges; serve warm.

I would make this bread again just for the smell. It was amazing. I didn't have a potato, so I went out on a limb and used one cup of prepared potato pearls (which is 1 cup hot water mixed with 1/2 cup potato pearls). It worked out really well and was easier. This is definitely worth a try.

still here

Just tying up some loose ends here...

For anyone who cares (mostly me) here are the pies I tried in order from best to worst:

1. French Silk

2. Berry

3. Banana Cream

4. Pumpkin

5. Apple

My personal preferences made it hard for those last two to rank very high on my list. But the french silk was far and away my favorite and it was the quickest to be eaten.

And, I got a fabulous new cook book for Christmas from my sister. I am excited to post recipes and information from it in the next few weeks.

Finally, I don't know about you, but I think we should ring in the new year with another give away. So...

If you can be the first to guess how many rolls of wrapping paper I bought on clearance after Christmas this year, I will send you two of those little cutting boards I posted about here. I'll even take requests on color. And we'll give you a week to guess. I'll announce the winner on Saturday, January 9th. Good luck!

berry pie

This pie is one of my favorites that I made this fall. It was my first lattice-top pie and it was fun to make that pattern. I like that about pie: it's easy to decorate.

Ozark Mountain Berry Pie

Taste of Home

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, optional

dash salt

1 cup blueberries

1 cup strawberries

3/4 cup blackberries

3/4 cup red raspberries

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

pastry for double crust pie

2 Tbsp. butter

1. In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in berries. Add water and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil.

2. Line a 9 inch pie plaste with bottom crust; trim pastry even with edge. Fill with berry filling and dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry; make lattice crust. Trim, seal, and flute edges. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Cool on wire rack. Store in refrigerator.

banana cream pie

This one would be great with a graham cracker crust too.

Banana Cream Pie

Betty Crocker

Pastry for one crust pie

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups milk

2 Tbsp. butter or stick margarine, softened

4 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sweetened whipped cream

1. Bake pastry for one crust pie.

2. Beat egg yolks with fork in medium bowl; set aside. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2 quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.

3. Immediately stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Cool filling slightly. Slice 2 large bananas into pie crust; pour warm filling over bananas. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until set.

4. Remove plastic wrap. Top pie with whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate cooled pie until serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

French Silk Pie

Sorry for the break, but we were out of town for a few weeks. Back to pie-making! Yesterday I made my favorite pie so far. When I was little we lived outside Kansas City, Kansas and I remember my parents going on dates to eat at KC Masterpiece and picking up pies from Tippins. The one kind of pie I remember them bringing home was a french silk pie. I found a recipe for that and tried it last night. It was really, really good and pretty easy. I think I'll make it one of my traditional pies this time of year.

French Silk Pie

Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book

1 baked pastry shell

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (6 ounces)

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 beaten egg yolks

3 tablespoons creme de cacao or whipping cream

1 cup whipped cream

chocolate curls, optional

1. In a medium heavy saucepan combine 1 cup whipping cream, chocolate pieces, butter and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat. Gradually stir half of chocolate mixture into beaten egg yolks. Return egg mixture to chocolate mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is slightly thickened and begins to bubble (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. (Mixture may appear to separate.) Stir in creme de cacao. Place the saucepan in a bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, until the mixture stiffens and becomes hard to stir (about 20 minutes). Transfer to medium mixing bowl.

2. Beat cooled chocolate mixture with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Spread filling into baked (and cooled) pastry shell. Cover and refrigerate pie for 5-24 hours. To serve, top with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate curls.