Cutout Crazy

a small selection of my many cutters

I used to bake about a zillion different cookies, now at Christmas time I’ve narrowed down the repertoire to just three: cutouts, thumbprints, and Noel nut balls. Over the years the cutout recipe has evolved to No Fail Sugar Cookies, found at Kitchen Gifts, a great resource for unique cutouts hand shaped in the USA, cookie recipes, and baking and decorating tips. 

brides and bouquets I made for Caroline’s showers

The bride cookie for Caroline’s wedding showers was one of my favorites. To get clean edges I always chill the cutout shaped dough on the cookie sheets before baking. When frosting I always outline the cookie with royal icing piped from a pastry bag with a #2 tip. I then flood the entire surface, usually with simple white frosting, let it harden a bit and then decorate simply or with abandon.

large snowflakes, a little messy, it’s busy right now
I always outline first with a pastry bag of royal icing using a #2 tip
flood the entire surface with white icing

The large snowflakes I made just this week are simply one-color frosting, white, and embellished with colored sanding sugar. 

sanding sugar in the background

If your weekend plans include baking, enjoy.  

No Fail Sugar Cookies

This recipe is GREAT when using complex cookie cutters.  The dough holds its’ shape and won’t spread during baking.  
Make sure you let your oven preheat for at least 1/2 hour before baking these or any other cookies.

6 cups flour 
3 tsp. baking powder 
2 cups butter 
2 cups sugar 
2 eggs 
2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I like almond myself)
1 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little 
at a time to butter mixture.  Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together. 

Chill for 1 to 2 hours (or see Hint below) 

Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes.  Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350 
degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges.  This recipe 
can make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies. 

HINT: Rolling Out Dough Without the Mess — Rather than wait for your cookie dough to 
chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper.  
Roll it out to the desired thickness then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator.  
Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all.  By the time you are finished, the 
first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut.  Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process!  An added bonus 
is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.

A few of my personal tips: use the best ingredients you can get your hands on, King Arthur flour, organic unsalted butter, free range eggs, Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla extract. Reroll the dough only once and scrap the rest. Make a huge batch of royal icing using an entire bag of confectioners’ sugar and 4 egg whites so you have enough to fill a pastry bag for outlining and a good supply for flooding. Rolling out the dough between parchment or waxed paper and refrigerating as above is genius, highly suggest. 

Every day dress, cutout crazy. 

This time of year Champagne makes everything better

breakfast scramble

scallions, greens, eggs, butter, bacon, cheese

On most mornings my two collegiate daughters and I try and get in as many greens as we can by way of scrambling them into our eggs. We start with sliced scallions and sauté them in butter until softened. Next comes shredded or chopped spinach, swiss chard, or whatever leafy thing we have on hand. Here you see some leftover crumbled bacon and grated gruyere. It all makes for a great wake-up and is scrambled up and dished out usually after a morning workout. Toast with mashed avocado and sliced tomatoes rounds things out nicely. 

eggs, greens, diluted orange juice

Yesterday while in Chicago I hit the gym early, walked to my meeting downtown, and had the breakfast that was provided. Not my usual, it was cheese pastry and sweetened yogurt with granola and a few berries, yet really anytime I am served I am most appreciative and simply go with the flow. 

picnic food

at the grill and table is set, Winston looking at the camera
the roasted fennel was a big hit, roasted red onions are great on sandwiches the next day
roasted zucchini with thyme, garlic, salt and pepper
marinade had apricot preserves, fresh ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, so good…

Quick post: holiday weekend and wishing everyone a happy, safe 4th of July. You know I love food, yesterday we had a little kick-off gathering and I did some roasted vegetables, a big green salad with a simple vinaigrette, and some great barbecued chicken.

part of the easy buffet

I also did some marinated grilled flank steak, second son thought that was a nice switch-up. Baked off a bunch of blueberry pies, no photos, we were busy enjoying one another’s company.

Happy 4th.

eating and drinking in France

room with a view

Yesterday morning I broke a piece of baguette and smeared it with French butter and then soft ripe cheese and then topped it with local honey, it was sublime. I’m drinking small cups of espresso, forgoing the tall American coffee, and usually indulging again at half past three. 

everyone helps for dinner in

Second son’s girlfriend says le vin rosé is like water, and you know how you’re supposed to get in eight full glasses of that. 

on our way to town to gather supplies
we did have lunch at this Michelin star restaurant L’Aubergine
okay, so I took this photo, daily run to market

Booie asked me where the pantry is in the kitchen and I replied, ‘no pantry, we buy what we need and will use on the daily’. 

petit déjeuner on the lawn for six

We started with a party of six, grew to eight and then ten, and now back to eight, and on Thursday we will be five. We’ve been gone three plus weeks now, on holiday with really nothing to do, simply enjoying one another’s company in this beautiful country of France. We are blessed, and the husband is the triple gold star. 

prepping for dinner in

I’ve been cooking as most times we prefer staying in and accustoming myself with an electric cooktop and an oven I don’t understand, but that’s okay. Everything makes me think, even the every day run to the market where I have to navigate the carts, and the checkout. 

The first half of the trip I was fairly disciplined with the workout routine and now as we’re getting ready to head home, I’m savoring every lazy hour of undriven bliss. 

and the sun goes down

We’ve been eating and drinking in France, and that’s a very good thing. All photos here by Maxwell Collins, on Instagram @maxyny.

a good formula

Monday’s can be tough, although I used to love Monday’s when the kids were little, and they all had to go back to school. It was a formula then, and a formula now to make the day a little easier. Jeans and a tee, and chicken for dinner.  Kids are grown, youngest two in college, […]

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day 4

still cold here….

Running a little behind here yet self-employed and self-published so I’m the only one losing any sleep over this, big huge problem.

won’t these look better than denim on warm summer days?

In the interim I have found the summer pant: intricate textured stretch jacquard Italian style pant in yarn-dyed stretch cotton in an on-trend plaid and stripe combination. Tried them on in the studio with twenty-six-year-old daughter, she loved them too, added them to doctor client’s order this morning, and placed my order this afternoon. Thinking these are the perfect dress-up run-around version of denim pants that I default too way too often. These are 76% cotton, 20% polyamide, and 4% elastane, giving them incredible wear and ease. I’ll pair them with a white blouse or tee and navy cashmere something, crew or cardigan if needed.

What I was really wearing as it’s still cold was a navy cashmere turtleneck hello late March, current favorite camo jeans, black scarf, black coat, and combat boots. All wardrobe classics and things that will hang around. The coat is Celine from before Phoebe left, and the scarf is Fendi from before Karl passed, both gifts from husband, and both things I’ll keep and wear until threadbare.

We ate out that night at Billy Club, and I had market salad as you can never have enough green things and Bolognese as I make it often and am constantly trying to improve it, therefore trying it wherever it is served. Chef added rosemary, thyme, and a bit of lemon, three aromatics I’ve never tried. House made tagliatelle pasta was divine. Started with a tequila Three Stacks cocktail because I’m kind of wondering just how much wine I can drink…. It was a great meal and a fun night out.

Every day dress: clothes, fun plaid pants and kind of all black, food: dinner out at Billy Club.

Day 4, check.