Baking: The Melting Magic of Meringues

I remember my first exposure to meringue cookies as a young girl.  It was at Shaffer House Bakery in Providence, Utah with my friend and her grandparents.  Her grandparents bought me a blue meringue cookie that melted magically on my tongue.  I've been fascinated ever since!
So when I have the yen, or just a few leftover egg whites in the fridge, I make meringues.
Here's the basic recipe:
3 eggwhites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
Beat the eggwhites, salt, vanilla and cream of tartar on a mixer with a whip/whisk type attachment at high speed.  When soft peaks start to form, gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time.  Keep beating until glossy and fairly stiff.  Using a pastry bag and large start tip, pipe in small circular cones onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Bake at 300 degrees F for 25 minutes, turn off the oven and let the cookies cool inside the cooling oven for another 20-30 minutes.  Remove and cool cookies completely.  Makes 30 cookies.

Variations: Add in some finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, and orange extract instead of the vanilla; or try using coconut extract instead of vanilla. 
Depending on the shape, they can become the dish-like shell of pavlovas (a fruit and whipped cream filled meringue dessert)

My daughter and her friend were anxious to help me pipe out the meringues, so I decided to pull out the gel frosting tubes I had on hand and color the meringues (I'd seen something similar in a Martha Stewart magazine).

Squeeze the gel frosting up the sides of the pastry bag

Then spoon glossy egg white mixture into the bag.

Pipe onto prepared cookie sheets.

Kids love helping with this part!

Bake at 300 for 25 mintues, then let cool in the oven for another 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!  Meringues are such a whimsical cookie that crazy colors just seem to work.

Gracious Civility: The handwritten word

I am blessed to have the most thoughtful and gracious neighbor in the world.  She is known and loved by all who know her for many reasons, but key among them is her ability to craft a sincere handwritten note.  Receiving a note from her is a special occasion.  Once you've read one of her signature "apreciation notes" you feel a little lighter, a bit quicker to smile and your view towards others warms and softens.  What is her magic?  I'm not exactly sure, but here are some key traits I've picked out to try to emulate and teach my children:

• Be Specific.  Notes don't have to be limited to a thank you note for a physical gift.  Let the person know why you were thinking of them and specific things that you admire or appreciate in them.  Often a particular incident causes us to think of or appreciate someone.  Write just that - the specifics of what made you think of them recently.
• Be Sincere.  The sweetest note can turn chokingly syrupy if it isn't truly sincere.  Don't waste words on hollow compliments.  Better to include a short couple of sentences that you truly mean, than a page full of flowery nonsense.  My husband recently left a post-it love-note in my purse where he knew I'd find it as I went on a short trip to see family.  Small effort = Big Bonus Points!
• Share Yourself.  My gracious friend always includes in her notes how that person has inspired her to do certain things, or strive to improve (whereas - all of us are all chasing her example).  When someone inspires or touches you, share that change you felt in your note.  Nothing makes us want to continue to improve more than hearing that we are inspiring others.
• Be Prolific.  This is not to say that every thank you note should be a long essay.  Rather, don't be stingy with your notes.  Look for reasons to share a note with someone, then actually follow through and do it.  Most of us think appreciative thoughts about family, neighbors and friends all the time.  But how often do we actually write it down and send it?  So fill that mailbox and give your mail carrier something to do!  (My gracious neighbor often leaves thank you notes for her mail carrier as well!)

So even if it is a quick post-it note on the fridge or a letter to a friend you've not seen in years, take 15 minutes to hand write a message.  There is something so personal and gracious about a handwritten note that can't be replicated in a million texts.  (And yes, I catch the irony of using a virtual,  blog-format for extolling the virtues of handwritten notes . . . better pull out the stationary.)

Baking/Entertaining: Teaching My Peach to Cake Decorate

Learning to "crumb-coat".  We used the Viva paper towel method to smooth the frosted cake.

We switch off years for the kids birthdays when it comes to parties.  This year is a "family birthday" year,  so there are no extravagant parties in the works.  Thus, without the stress of party planning, it's a perfect year to let my kids try their hand at decorating their own cakes.  My daughter dreamed up the theme and design of her cake.  She helped bake, frost and decorate it. 

Making Kermit's eyeballs out of marshmallows and edible markers.

Filling in Kermy's mouth with red gel frosting

Finished product.  My girl's face says it all.  Sometimes it really does pay to invest all the time and patience into training your kiddos.

Meatloaf: my boy's culinary discovery

 I am not a meatloaf fan.  In fact, just the name makes me shudder a little.  However, last week my son asked me what meatloaf was like.  After a long sigh, I decided that 12 years of sheltering him from my childhood-dinner-nemesis was long enough.  As you'll see in the photos that follow - he was rather enamored of the whole meatloaf-making process.  In fact, at one point he said, "Mom - we should do this for a party!"  The thought of multiple boys up to their elbows in raw hamburger gave me a whole body shudder.  So although a meatloaf-making party is never going to happen as long as I'm living and e coli. still exists, I did end up eating and almost enjoying my boy's meatloaf.  (I'll spare everyone the recipe, since meatloaf recipes are more common than silver minivans.)

Yes, being a food-safety gal, I insisted on gloves.

Mad-scientist at work.

Can you tell he was into the hands-on mixing experience?

Since I was feeling daring - I also decided to allow him a lesson on electric-knife usage.  My baby's growing up!