12/15/07

Bakin' Cookies

Today I baked cookies with Cara. I've never seen a little girl have so much fun. I picked up that pre-cut cookie dough sheet with Christmas trees stamped in the dough. We put those on the sheet first and then took the remaining dough and rolled it back out to use some cookie cutters that my mother gave me (letters, stars, angels). We spelled out Cara's name and made some stars & angels. Jordan took some pictures on his cell phone....

After they came out the oven, we decorated them with some frosting & sprinkles...and Cara promptly ate three in a row.
I never did this with Erin. We adopted Erin when she was 9 and it was a long struggle to keep her on the straight path after being bounced around from mother, to grandmother, to great-grandmother, back to mother and around the block again. Erin turned out okay, but some of the girlfriend-mother-daughter stuff went by the wayside (no time to be girlfriends) as Ron and I struggled to raise a woman. Now we have Cara and these fun things just hit me and it is as much fun for me as it is for her. It cracked me up to see her run into Ron's office and practically shove a cookie in his mouth saying "Eat it, Daddy." The moments memories are made of.
As I was thinking about Christmas memories, I remembered a time that Ron and I went to Williamsburg Virginia during the holiday season and ate in the King's Arms Tavern. We had the most AWESOME Rice pudding with a custard sauce over it for dessert there and we begged to get the recipe. They gave it to us and I made it for Ron every holiday for years and then I just stopped. Don't even remember why. I dug out my cookbooks in search of the recipe and found it. I made him a big ole batch of King's Arms Raisin Rice Pudding
4 eggs ------------------------- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c sugar -------------------- 1 tsp butter, melted
2 cups milk -------------------- 1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups cooked rice --------- 2/3 cup seedless raisins
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 quart casserole dish. Combine eggs, sugar, and milk and beat well. Fold in the rice, lemon juice, vanilla, melted butter, nutmeg and raisins. Pour into prepared casserole dish and put dish in a pan of boiling water (DO NOT SKIP OR RICE WILL GET REALLY DRY. TRUST ME). Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes or until custard is set.
Custard Sauce
1 1/2 tbs cornstarch (Arrowroot works better - no lumps)
2 c Light Cream, divided
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
Dissolve cornstarch (arrowroot) in half of the cream. Beat egg yolks until light, then combine with cornstarch mixture. Heat remaining cream, taking care not to boil, and add sugar. Pour cornstarch, egg yolk mixture over hot cream & sugar mixture. Return cream to low heat and continue to stir and cook 5 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened. Add vanilla, blend thoroughly and cool.
You are going to love it.
Are you making holiday memories this season?