Happy Purim!

I have never liked hamentaschen. I like the idea of hamentaschen and I've always loved making them. This year I decided to try to create a hamentaschen dough that I actually liked. Since my favorite filling was always canned cherry pie filling, I figured that a hamentaschen is really just like a mini pie. Therefore, I'd base the dough on a sweetened pie dough and the filling would be real fresh berry pie filling.

They went into the oven looking very well:


Unfortunately they didn't hold together as well as they should have:

They tasted good but there's work to be done next year when I try again to try to make slightly more eye pleasing cookies. I have an idea of what went wrong so hopefully next time will go better. For a first real made up dough baking experiment I'm not displeased with the taste anyway.

I also attempted a large hamentaschen pie which sadly was a true baking failure. The berry juice went everywhere on the baking sheet, and it didn't cook as evenly as I would have liked.

Next year I try again!

M&M Cookies

I used to have store bought versions of these all the time as a child. Last weekend my family came to visit and I made them these as a Valentine's Day treat. The recipe is straight off the M&M website, with the addition of chocolate chips. We added three or four M&Ms on the top of the cookie before they went into the oven to make them pretty. It was so much easier making these cookies now that I have 2 more cookies sheets. I will never have to try to make four dozen cookies using only one cookie sheet again.

My mother also gave me a cookbook featuring 400 soup recipes since that seems to be my new thing to do to make sure I have lunches through the week. You can expect to see more soups on the blog soon.

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup

In honor of the bit of snow that the television keeps calling the blizzard of 2010 I decided to make a pot of soup. At first I was just going to make a cream of cauliflower soup, but then I decided to use mushrooms as well.

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 package of fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 cauliflower, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tbs. dried thyme
2 tbs butter
4 cups of chicken/mushroom stock
1/2 cup of light sour cream
1/2 cup of heavy cream
salt
pepper

1. Saute the onions in the butter for about two minutes, then add the mushrooms.
2. When mushrooms are half cooked add the cauliflower, bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper cook until cauliflower begins to soften
3. Add broth and simmer until cauliflower is tender enough to be pureed.
4. Allow soup to cool and blend soup in blender or food processor.
5. Stir sour cream and heavy cream into blended soup.
Serve with sliced scallions and biscuits if you want to bake them!