"Too small to count as another WiP."

...Or at least that's how I rationalized it to myself. ;)




NIKM ABC's Freebie by Blackbird Designs
2/2 on 28 ct. Antique Ivory Linen
Recommended Fibers (GAST and WDW)



Strangely focused, but it shows how pretty the colours are.

My big blog seems to have fallen through, but in case anyone was wondering about my Manjula's Kitchen Experiment, here's the Baingan Bharta I made on that snowy Wednesday.



The end result was really good, and a big hit: Marc liked it, which is more than I can say for the restaurant version that inspired me to learn the dish. He's a "Good Eater", and has enthusiastically eaten everything I've ever made save 2 instances, though I'll spare you those anecdotes for today (at least. ;). It came out really "yellow" which I attribute to either a mistake in the quantity of Turmeric I added, or the fact that I had to make do with corriander powder, rather than the called-for seed format. I've already got 2 fat eggplants awaiting a similar fate in my kitchen. :D



The second "make" of my too-busy snow day was Snickerdoodle cookies! They are quite possibly my favorite cookie ever, and that's saying something. I'll say something else: Creaming Butter, Shortening, and sugar together until they are "fluffy" by hand is not for the faint of heart. "Where are the cookies? This is a lump of dough.", you say? Somehow, they were all eaten before I could get a pic. I won't link you the recipe, though, because I wasted at least half of the batter trying to find the baking Time and Temp. In NJ (or 2 of her ovens, at least) the magic number was 6 minutes at 360 degrees Fahrenheit.

They were such a hit (the pickiest amongst our set pronounced them to be "perfect".), that I can say my efforts on the behalf of others' taste buds brought me back a *very* nice return in the form of...



An Artisan Stand Mixer from Kitchen Aid! I was admonishing the boys (Marc's college set; though they graduated one and all nearly 10 years ago, they are still friends who have a monthly "party". One year ago 4 of them established a bachelor pad together, and we often pass the evening there. They have three Playstation 3's, and a pool table in the basement--the draw reveals iself! Fortunately for my stitching eyes, a sister also recently gave them a lamp!) that they should be grateful for these hand-mixed home-made cookies--I suppose I was in a particularly shrewish frame of mind--when one of them pipes up that his family's got a stand mixer moldering unused and would I like it. I made all the proper protests due to the value of the object, and the fact that they not only have disused stand mixer, but within the last year or so also acquired a Dead Mother...Yep, this would be her stand mixer. Without going into the personal details of other people's lives, it is such a sad thing: Her son is only one year my senior, and she was a lovely woman. Though I never met her in person, I know her son well, and he is full of praise for her: A whip-smart (Yet retiring and sometimes uncertain of herself) gynecological nurse, she was the first in the state to earn special qualifications which allowed her unrestricted prescriptive permission. Dad was quite powerless against her knack for adding cats to the household. :)
The trompe-l'œil she muraled in her kitchen (with more enthusiasm than skill, admittedly) featured a stone hutch filled with cheese, grapes, and a garnet-filled glass. Hanging alongside, her favorite cheeky quote:

"I enjoy cooking with wine; sometimes I even put it in the food."

I've been charged with the proper use and good care of Eileen's Mixer. So, I tried making more Snickerdoodles (as you see above) they came out perfectly; now if only I'd remembered that I cut the sugar to 2/3 on my first run-through!)

Those of you who do own stand mixers: Any ideas for what I could/should make? Hints, secrets, dish on dishes?

Yours Somewhat Reflectively,
Berit