Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
Chocolate Spice Drops
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
This recipe is used with permission from my friend Ellen Fremedon.
I’ve m
ade these several times and they’re always awesome — you can put in whatever assortment of spices you want, but I definitely recommend the fresh ginger and pepper both to get a good bite from the spice.
The texture of these cookies is very soft and cakelike, so they don’t keep for very long, but that’s not usually a problem. They store best in shallow tupperware, with parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking.
6 Tbsp strong spiced tea (I used Republic of Tea Cardamom Cinnamon, but any black or herbal spice tea would probably work.)
1 cup white sugar
1 stick butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp minced ginger (grated, not powdered, but pre-grated from the produce section is fine)
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup good-quality cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and black pepper
Dash of cloves, allspice
Cream together butter and sugar, then add egg, vanilla, and fresh ginger. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and spices. I like to use a whisk for this step to break up lumps, especially in the cocoa.
Blend dry ingredients, wet ingredients, and the tea. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 12-13 minutes. The cookies will puff up in the middle.
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: food, recipe, sharpie marker
Honeycake
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
This recipe started out life in the Winnie the Pooh Cookery Book and then was extensively altered from its original form as a birthday cake.
Basically, every single time I read a fantasy novel, someone is having sticky, delicious honeycakes, and I really wanted to get in on that. But I couldn’t find a recipe that sounded right, so I started with this one and altered it and altered it and messed with it until I got the dense, spiced, super sweet honeyed cake that I’d always imagined.
When this cake is baked up it’s heavy and a bit sticky, and goes wonderfully with a good cup of tea. Experiment to find the just-right baking time for you; my original recipe said 20-25 minutes, but I ended up going about 40 with the white whole wheat flour and that wasn’t quite enough. (Note: I have since had my oven fixed and get shorter baking times these days.)
1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I’ve made this with alternative flours with good results, too)- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cardamon
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup honey (spray measuring cup with cooking oil before adding honey for easier pouring)
- powdered sugar and/or nutmeg, for decoration
Preheat oven to 375° F. Sift dry ingredients together. While mixing, slowly add milk, eggs, softened butter, vanilla & honey. I mixed up the milk, eggs, and vanilla, then alternated milk mixture with honey, adding in the butter somewhere in the middle. When a creamy batter has formed (mmm), pour into 1 greased 9-inch round cake pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes (watching carefully if your oven is at all like mine) or until brown around the edges, and a cake tester comes out with just crumbs and no batter goo.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and/or nutmeg and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Use stencils to create pretty patterns if you’re a big dork or Martha Stewart.
Serves 12 (or 6 if you’re like me).
Categories: Daily Art, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: bear, food, honey, recipe, sharpie marker
4 Comments »
Whiteboard Doodles Redux
Monday, November 1st, 2010
My scanner’s on the fritz, so instead of a recipe, you get more expectation-free art from my whiteboard. Lucky you! Photos taken with my iPhone, and therefore of approximately the same quality as the art. 😉
Categories: Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: nfs, silly, whiteboard
2 Comments »
Recipe: Rice Pudding
Monday, October 25th, 2010
Like all of my other recipes, this one is adapted from somewhere else, but I’ve been making it for so long I have no idea where anymore.
3 c. cooked rice (I use jasmine rice because that’s what I use for everything, heh)
3 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar (I find raw sugar gives it a richer flavor)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ginger and cardamon
dash nutmeg & cloves
1/2 c. raisins (if you add more than this, add more milk to compensate)
2 Tbl. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine everything but the vanilla in a good-sized saucepan and cook on medium heat for ~25 minutes, or until it’s just starting to thicken, definitely thinner than you want for serving. Stir occasionally, and keep watch once it starts to simmer to prevent boilovers and messy stoves, not to mention scorched milk.
Remove from heat, add vanilla, let cool. Eat hot or cold, though I prefer it warm. It’ll completely solidify in the fridge, just stir in some milk if you want to thin it out for eating later.
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: food, nfs, recipe, sharpie marker
2 Comments »
Weeble Wednesday: Leila and Her Monkey
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
Leila Lloyd-Evelyn and Her Monkey by Amy Crook
Leila Lloyd-Evelyn doesn’t literally have a monkey, but she wanted her cartoon to represent her sense of playfulness and fun, and dancing with a monkey certainly fit the bill!
Leila and I talked about her cartoon for a long time, batting back ideas back and forth before her budget and our inspiration connected and we went for it. Her awesome old-timey boots are monkey brown to match her imaginary friend, her own dark hair and rich coffee eyes, and the deep forest green of her curvy babydoll t-shirt made an excellent complement.
Her actual cartoon is a little shorter than my usual weebles, because I drew it sideways on the page (so it’s 7″x5″ instead of 5″x7″), in order to make room for the monkey and their little weebley dance step.
Have you thought about being a cartoon? I’ve got a few spots free, and I’d love to draw you in your Halloween costume, holiday glamour, or just your awesome everyday self. You can click here to go read up on what’s what, or just use the buy button below to get going.
Be a Cartoon – $79
I’ll email you some questions to the email address from which I got the payment, so keep an eye out!
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cartoon, copic marker, holiday special, leila lloyd-evelyn, monkey, pen and ink, weeble
Amy’s Mum’s Pumpkin Cookies
Monday, October 18th, 2010
It’s fall and time to make one of my absolute favorite treats! These cookies are practically little cakes with their fluffy texture and delicious icing, and while they’re a long process to make, it’s absolutely worth it.
I make these a little differently than my mother, so I’ve marked my own variations with a * in case you’re not quite so much of a spice nut as I am.
Amy’s Mum’s Pumpkin Cookies
Cream 1 cup of butter or shortening
Add & beat:
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin (puree or canned)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together & add:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon ginger
*1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
*1 teaspoon cardamon
*1/4 teaspoon cloves
Drop on greased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper instead), bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. Check frequently for burning. (They will still seem a bit wet inside when they’re golden brown on the bottom, but will finish baking into a cake-like consistency as they cool.) Makes ~2 dozen.
Ginger Brown Sugar Icing
Start with:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
Put in small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.
Stir in:
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
*1 teaspoon ginger
*1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1 cup powdered sugar
Add more powdered sugar until the consistency resembles a thick glaze, then frost your cookies. Icing will get everywhere, so i suggest you frost them on parchment paper. *grin*
Enjoy!
For those not in the US, when making your own pumpkin puree, use the smaller pumpkin varieties (approximately 5-7 lbs., 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 kg.). Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise, remove seeds and stringy fibers, and place cut-side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) for approximately 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours (depending on size) or until easily pierced with a knife. Scoop out the pulp and puree in a food processor until smooth. Can strain through cheesecloth to extract all the liquid. Cool before using.
Categories: Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: autumn, cookies, food, pumpkin, recipe, sharpie marker
4 Comments »
Fly Me to the Moon
Saturday, October 16th, 2010
Fly Me to the Moon by Amy Crook
This is another image I designed for a t-shirt using a sketch, this one even more appropriate to the season. A bit of Harry Potter and a bit of Sinatra are together in a witchy Halloween image.
This is definitely my favorite time of year, so enjoy!
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: broom, halloween, Harry Potter, moon, t-shirt
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