Saturday, February 23, 2008

A Peek At My New Web Site

Thursday, February 21, 2008

TDIPT Birthday Party!


Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Mystery

"The journey of life is so beautiful that it needs no destination."

We Are...


We are, each of us angels with only one wing; and we can only fly by embrasing one another.
Luciano de Crescenzo

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

To Know Ourselves

How simple a thing it seems to me to know ourselves as we are, we must know our mothers' names.
Alice Walker, O Magazine, May 2003
US novelist (1944-)

Monday, February 18, 2008

Vanilla Orange Icebox Cookies



Vanilla Orange Icebox Cookies
makes 8 cookies
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 quail egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting the work surface and your hands
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
~~~
1. Cream the sugar and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes, until fluffy and pale yellow. Beat in the quail egg, the vanilla, and the orange zest until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt, just until incorporated. Do not use an electric mixer or the cookies will be overmixed and tough.
2. Dust a clean, dry work surface with flour. Turn the dough onto the work surface, dust your hands with flour, then roll the dough between your palms and the work surface into a small log, about 2 3/4 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to firm up, for at least 1 hour or up to 5 days.
3. Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Use a nonstick cookie sheet, or a regular one lined with either parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet. Unwrap the dough and cut it into 1/4-inch-thick slices. (Cut off the ends for perfect cookies.) Place the cookies on the cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until firm. Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Adapted from Cooking For Two by Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Invite

I think that when you invite people to your home, you invite them to yourself.
Oprah Winfrey