Posts tagged ‘Cookies’
Green Tea Shortbread and a survey
I have a confession to make. Don’t be mad, okay?
I’m not actually 17.
When I first unveiled my new food blog, the first thing my dad said was, “That’s a little precocious, isn’t it?” Maybe. I just didn’t see the point in using 16, since my birthday is in 2 1/2 weeks (!) and I figured I would just have to be a bit misleading for a month. It’s a little weird only being 16 – with a few exceptions, I’m one of the youngest food bloggers I’ve seen. On the one hand, I’m at a bit of a disadvantage, with school and my limited time and budget. On the other hand, I think I’m getting a real leg up – I wonder how many foodies discovered their passion for cooking as young as I did! In this sense, I’m pretty lucky to be 16.
Anyway, the nice thing about turning 17, besides cake and finally fitting into my title, is the birthday present I’m planning. A real camera. My Kodak EasyShare is fine when I go to the park or for photos on vacation, but when I’m trying to zoom in on some crumbly shortbread action, it’s a little lacking. I’ve been looking around and I think I’ve decided on a Canon Rebel XTi with a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. It’s a bit pricey for a hobby but my parents and I will share the cost… and hopefully I’ll be able to take the food photography that I see in my head!
What about you? What kind of camera do you use, and what do you suggest I buy?
But onto the recipe. I’m still on a matcha kick after getting a whole package of the stuff. Seriously, I dream in pale green. These Green Tea Shortbread cookies are being shipped off to my mom’s best friend for her birthday. She loves buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, and these were perfect.
Hazelnut Lace Cookies and a baking disaster
A couple weekends ago, my mother and I went hiking by the Snoqualmie waterfall, which is a pretty easy and lovely walk. There’s a big fancy lodge and resort by the waterfall and we stopped there for lunch. The lunch itself was tasty but nothing to rave about. Then I ordered dessert. Roasted strawberries, lime mascarpone, and coconut tuile cookies in a gorgeous napoleon. And it was delicious. And I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I knew I wanted to recreate it.
Of course, it wouldn’t do to pick the same flavors. So I turned the ideas over in my head for two weeks before I finally decided on what I wanted to make: hazelnut tuiles sandwiched with roasted peaches and chamomile mascarpone. Yeah, it’s a mouthful. And it was every bit as overly ambitious as you’d expect. It was also kind of a disaster.
17 and Baking 