gingerbread chicken coops + white house scenes

in ,

seven things i learned about the white house!

1. it is way smaller than i thought it would be. i envisioned a huge building with millions of hallways to get lost in and a state dining room the size of alaska, but that’s not the case! it’s like polly pocket. with a kitchen that is only about twice the size of mine (but then again they do have a separate pastry kitchen and meat room…). 

2. they make 25,000 cookies every holiday season and some of their most popular ones are in the shape of bo and sunny, the white house pups.

3. bo walked by. eggboy saw him. i did not. i was too busy giggling and cookie decorating with joy and ashley, and eggboy didn’t get the memo that you’re supposed to tell everyone else in the room when a white house pup walks by. eggboy is fired.*** 

4. the walls of the white house gingerbread house get baked for eight hours at a very low temperature. this helps them get super duper sturdy and allows them to remain completely flat and not curvy. otherwise the humidity could make them warp. 

5. susie, the white house pastry chef, has been there for 21 years and is a wizard of sugar! the bottom of the white house gingerbread houses are reinforced with a layer of melty sugar that hardens and looks like glass. and all of the trees around the house are also made of sugar. no green frosted ice cream cones in sight.

6. The security men in the little security house that you have to go through to get onto the grounds burn sugar cookie scented candles. idk if this is the norm but when we walked in all of the lights were off and it smelled of cookies and the big beefy security men who were ushering us through the metal detectors seemed to really appreciate it when we complimented them on their candle.

7. the news briefing room is exactly what it looks like on veep and designated survivor. 

***eggboy edit: he wants you to know that he is 99.9% sure that is was bo and is reserving .1% for the possibility that this could have been a bo decoy and eggboy doesn’t want to get arrested if this was classified information. hiiii white house! 

even though we spent less than 48 hours in d.c., we had the gosh darn loveliest time! aside from spending an afternoon at the white house, we hung out with the super awesome ladies of pineapple d.c. at on rye (which is the most insanely delicious new jewish deli (they have babka ice cream sandwiches!!!)), poked around the smithsonian and saw julia child’s old kitchen and got a tour from our new friend jessica, met our congressman who we learned is also a musician, and saw some extremely wonderful old friends!! everybody we saw had so much pride in d.c., and i certainly saw why. it is such a beautiful city with so many cool historical things, which i guess is exactly what you want in a capitol. that’s all i have to say about that, i wish i could say more, we tried to extend our trip because at the end of it we still had a list of people to see and things to eat, but then eggboy got food poisoning and barfed his brains out so we had to leave. he was officially forgiven for not telling me about his bo sighting. 

all of susie’s gingerbread got me inspired to come home and make my own gingerbread houses! it was the first time i’d had any desire to do that since i burnt myself out on making our gingerbread farm. i figured i should ease into it with something on the smaller, simpler side, so here are some gingerbread chicken coops! i searched high and low for chicken cookie cutters but couldn’t find a small enough one, so the official story here is that all of our chickens are dressed up as other animals. 

gingerbread chicken coops

makes 4 small houses

ingredients

for the gingerbread:

1 c dark corn syrup, molasses, or a mix of the two (corn syrup for lighter colored walls, molasses for darker walls)

3/4 c dark brown sugar

3/4 c margarine or butter

4 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

for the gingerbread house glue:

3 large egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

4 c powdered sugar

for decoration:

candy, sprinkles, shredded coconut, marzipan, chocolate, or other edible things you can find around your kitchen

clues

for the gingerbread:

In a medium saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, combine corn syrup or molasses, brown sugar, and margarine or butter. Heat over medium heat on the stove or in the microwave for 1-minute increments, stirring in between each, until the margarine or butter is melted and the sugar has completely dissolved.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Stir in the sugar mixture until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° F and get your stencils ready. You can either make them or find them online. the coops pictured are about 2 3/4" wide and 4 1/4" tall at the tallest point.

Roll your dough out onto a piece of parchment paper that will fit on your cookie sheet. Lightly flour the dough and place your stencils on top (leaving 1 inch in between them) and use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to trace around them. Remove excess dough, slide the parchment onto your cookie sheet, and then bake until the edges just start to brown. Begin checking for doneness at 15 minutes. If you'd like a darker brown color, you can leave them in there for up to 45 minutes. You can re-roll your dough scraps a few times. If it starts to feel dry, microwave it for 30 seconds or so.

allows the walls to cool and then assemble using gingerbread house glue...

for the gingerbread house glue:

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar. Beat on medium high for 7 to 10 minutes, until very fluffy.

Immediately spoon into a piping bag and use. Any frosting that's not being used should remain under plastic wrap (the plastic wrap should touch the surface of the frosting), so that it doesn't dry out.

to assemble the coops:

use the glue like mortar, pasting together the walls. reinforce every corner on the inside with more glue. prop them up to dry before gluing on the roof.

once all of the coops are assembled, let them dry for about 15 to 20 minutes. then, use your remaining glue to decorate! 

-yeh!

hibiscus almond marshmallows + coconut hot chocolate

in , ,

it was negative 28 degrees this weekend!!!!!! do you know what this means?! it is likely going to be physically impossible for the snow to melt before chrismukkah, so we are going to have the white chrismukkah that dreams are made of. yas. 

i've become accustomed to wearing a layer of long underwear at all times and giving myself an extra 10 or so minutes before leaving the house to *get in costume* with all of my additional fluffy warm layers. my hats, scarves, and mittens all live in a large metal bucket next to the door, the kind of metal bucket you'd go bobbing for apples in if bobbing for apples was your thing. even a trip to the grocery store requires a few inches of padding between my skin and the air, just like a big green baymax. that doesn't apply to everyone though: you can tell a native around here if you see them running into the store in just a hoodie and sweatpants, leaving behind their pickup truck that's still got the engine on. 

the weather has naturally led to more hibernation time at home, which i live for. there are just two main challenges: getting my bum to the gym and dressing up for the holidays. i am trying to fix the gym part by downloading workout apps that i can do in my living room. and for the holiday dress-up thing, i partnered with old navy again this month and found an answer that doesn't require tights, a dress, and freezing off both of my legs (and bonus: it also helps me maintain my naptime-chic aesthetic): velvet pants + faux fur. i am really excited about this. usually around the holidays i brute force my fanciness with black jeans and a nondescript sweater but that tends to not feel fancy enough, so these velvet pants are my new nice uniform, and i'm pairing them with velvet flats that fit snuggly into a bag to be slipped on once i remove my snow boots inside. the faux fur is, yes, like a wearable blanket, and what completes this ensemble is some color by way of jewelry, colorful outerwear, and... marshmallows. is that a stretch? that's probably a stretch. i just feel like if you're going to be showing up at a party with a tray of treats, why *not* try and have them be as festive as your outfit??

or maybe i'm just really into the color combo of my new yellow hat and these naturally dyed hibiscus marshmallows. i'm so into all of it that we took my new warm festive look for a spin by climbing to the top of our grain leg for a little hot chocolate date! don't worry, it wasn't -28º on this day, just a balmy 6º or so. here is the view from our grain leg:

here is us being merry and bright:

and now let's talk marshmallows and cocoa! hibiscus is my new favorite natural food coloring. it's such a great shade of pink and it imparts a nice citrusy berry flavor that helps balance out the sweetness of a marshmallow. the first time i had hibiscus i knew its brightness would go well with nutty almond, so i went with two-tone bbs that help make the prettiest cup of hot chocolate you've ever done seen. and my new go-to hot chocolate is dead simple: good chocolate + a can of coconut milk. so easy. but you're going to want something easy after you spend an afternoon making these marshmallows, they are a bit labor intensive but look at them! i think they're worth it :)

hibiscus almond marshmallows

yields 20 massive marshmallows

ingredients

1/4 c powdered sugar

1/4 c cornstarch

1/2 c dried hibiscus leaves

1 3/4 c water

3/4 tsp almond extract

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 1/2 c sugar

1 c light corn syrup

1/4 tsp kosher salt

 

clues

in a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch. coat an 11" x 7" baking dish with cooking spray and dust the bottom and sides with half of the powdered sugar mixture. pour any excess mixture back into the bowl.

steep the hibiscus leaves in 1 cup boiling water, covered, for 20 minutes. strain out the hibiscus leaves and measure out the water. (It should be around 3/4 cup. add a little tap water or pour some out to make 3/4 cup.) Stick it in the fridge to allow to cool completely while you make the almond marshmallow layer. 

to make the almond marshmallow layer: in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine 1/2 cup of water (not the hibiscus water, just plain water), the almond extract, and vanilla. sprinkle 2 envelopes of gelatin over the liquid.

in a small saucepan, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup more water (again, not the hibiscus water, just plain water). clip on a candy thermometer. heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches 240ºf, then immediately remove it from the heat and bring it over to the mixer.

turn the mixer on low and drizzle the corn syrup mixture in a slow and steady stream down the side of the bowl. once the entire mixture is in, gradually increase the speed to high and let it mix for 7 to 10 minutes total, until lukewarm and fluffy. while the mixer is running, grease a rubber spatula and have that standing by the mixer, as well as the prepared pan.

using your greased spatula, immediately scrape the mixture into your pan and spread it out evenly as best you can with the spatula. set this aside while you make the hibiscus marshmallow layer.

clean and dry your mixer bowl, whisk attachment, spatula, and small saucepan.

now, make the hibiscus marshmallow layer: repeat the process but use the hibiscus water this time! in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add 1/2 cup of the hibiscus water and then sprinkle the remaining 2 envelopes of gelatin over the liquid. 

in a small saucepan, stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/8 tsp salt, and the remaining 1/4 cup hibiscus water. clip on a candy thermometer. heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches 240ºf, then immediately remove it from the heat and bring it over to the mixer. 

turn the mixer on low and drizzle the corn syrup mixture in a slow and steady stream down the side of the bowl. once the entire mixture is in, gradually increase the speed to high and let it mix for 7 to 10 minutes total, until lukewarm and fluffy. while the mixer is running, grease a rubber spatula and have that standing by the mixer, as well as the pan with the almond layer.

using your greased spatula, immediately scrape the mixture into your pan and spread it out evenly as best you can with the spatula. dust the top with about half of the remaining powdered sugar mixture.

let set for at least 1 hour. cut into squares and dust the edges of the squares with the remaining powdered sugar mixture. 

coconut hot chocolate

makes 2 to 4 servings

ingredients

1/2 c good semi sweet chocolate

1 can coconut milk (full fat or light)

clues

combine chocolate and coconut milk in a small saucepan. heat over medium heat until chocolate melts.

divide among mugs, top with marshmallows and enjoy!

-yeh!

pictured: sweater // pants // coat // shoes // gloves // hat // vest

thank you, old navy (@oldnavy), for sponsoring this post! post your own style tips with the #oldnavystyle hashtag! disclaimer: per my sponsor agreement, the product links in this post are affiliate links. 

cheddar and thyme scones with tomato jam

in

this has been a very fun week of gingerbread chicken coop building, cookie making, and spending quality time at home*

*and realizing what a slob i am and that i need to devote all of my holiday break to cleaning up this place. 

how do people stay clean? where do they put all of their cookbooks?? i feel like i'm in an igloo made of cookbooks and boxes that are about to be filled with cookies and it's all going to cave in on me soon unless i start adulting. at least i finally feel like eggboy and i have some time to get to work on it all. his work days are shorter since the farming season has slowed, and i have barely enough sunlight to photograph for more than a couple of hours each day, so we shall become clean people in these remaining few weeks of 2016! i have these fantasies that i'll one day be able to walk into my prop room and not have to tip toe around breakable dishes as if i'm playing twister, or that i'll be able to quickly find a specific cookbook without having to somersault through slobby stacks in our living room...

remember when fantasies were more centered around hello kitty and lisa frank chrismukkah presents? lololol. 

here is an anytime snack that is perfect for when you need something cheesy and carby but you don't have any bread in the house and yes, you could use a little break from cleaning! it's a savory scone that's laced with onions, cheddar, and tiny flecks of thyme and served with sweet tomato jam. shoutout to eggmom for stocking our freezer with garden tomatoes from the summer! they were perfect for this. these scones are crumbly yet moist and i've used kerrygold's reserve cheddar here since it's flavorful enough to cut through the scone dough that surrounds it. (also because whenever i think about scones my inner voice puts on an irish accent since i ate about 12 million of the best scones of my life when i was in ireland on kerrygold's farms.) 

cheddar and thyme scones

makes 9

ingredients

2 c flour

1 tb baking powder

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

1 tb sugar

5 oz shredded kerrygold reserve cheddar 

1/2 c  kerrygold unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large egg

1/2 c heavy cream

for the tomato jam:

2 lb Roma (plum) tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped

1/2 c sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

a pinch of crushed red pepper

black pepper

1 tsp lemon juice

clues

preheat the oven to 400ºf and line two baking sheets with parchment.

in a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, thyme, salt, a few turns of pepper, and the sugar. add the cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for the topping, and butter to the food processor and pulse until the butter is pea-sized.

add the mixture to a large bowl and mix in the onion. in a small bowl, whisk together the egg and heavy cream. add this to the dry mixture and mix to combine. 

turn the dough onto a surface (you may need to give it a few kneads to bring those last few crumbs in) and pat it out into a square that is 1 inch thick. cut the large square into 9 smaller squares and place the scones on the baking sheets spaced 2 inches apart. top each with salt, pepper, and a bit of the reserved cheese.

bake the scones until they're lightly browned, beginning checking for doneness at 15 minutes. remove from the oven and serve warm with tomato jam (recipe follows).

for the tomato jam:

in a saucepan, combine the tomatoes, sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and a few turns of black pepper. set over medium heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has cooked off, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. press through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the tomato skins. stir in the lemon juice. let cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

-yeh!

thank you for kerrygold for sponsoring this post!

ras el hanout loaf cake toast with yogurt and sesame sprinkles

in

these days my life is about:

hallmark movies, the hamilton mixtape, this is us, only wearing very soft very warm clothes, and taking in as much holiday cheer as i can possibly fit into my person. so much that i have to wear stretchy pants. there are two feet of snow outside, our chrismukkah bush is up, and i've eaten sugar cookies for more than a few meals this past week. oh! that's why i'm wearing stretchy pants. 

this holiday season has been so swell so far! unlike last year's holiday season, i don't have a book manuscript to freak out about, and unlike the year before that i don't have a wedding to plan. so it's the first time in a while that i can throw myself into this thing like the north pole 5' 7" elf that i am. you should see this snow though, it's so fluffy and white and it just keeps coming down. every time i look outside i'm all this is why i came here!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

and in my head i do this face 😛 😛 😛 😛  and this dance 💃🏼 💃🏼 💃🏼 💃🏼

last night i went to michaels to buy tins to make my first annual holiday cookie tins, inspired by the craftsman and wolves cookie tins. i can't wait to turn my kitchen into a cookie factory later this week, and to make this into an annual tradition! yesterday my kitchen was a loaf cake factory though, to make this ras el hanout cake! it's in the same family as gingerbread but slightly closer to the savory end of the spectrum. it comes from the london cookbook and it is absolutely delicious. ras el hanout is a spice blend that's common in moroccan cooking and typically might contain cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, ginger... many things that you typically find in a pumpkin spice mixture or gingerbread cake, but i've only ever used it in savory dishes because it often has cumin and cayenne as well. so i was a nervous nelly about this cake! the book has a recipe for a saffron-y ras el hanout that doesn't have cumin (see below), but i have a small cumin-heavy jar of it that i brought back from tel aviv that i tossed in. i also took way more liberties than i should have (subbed out golden syrup for more molasses, muscovado sugar for brown sugar, buttermilk for coconut milk mixed with a bit of lemon juice) because it was -6º and i couldn't be bothered to go muscovado hunting in the morning, but guess what! it turns out this cake is impossible to fuck up. it's moist, well-balanced, and kind of a modern take on gingerbread. 

rather than going the glaze or frosting route, i hopped on the #caketoast train* and had a slice of it crisped up in a skillet with a slathering of yogurt, sesame seeds, and sprinkles in a fairy toast-inspired move. the yogurt here is a nice cooling contrast to the toasty cake, almost like a healthier whipped cream, and the sesames add their nuttiness and charm. cake toast, you guys. it's officially the best way to reheat a slice of loaf cake.

*it's an imaginary train that steph, michelle, alana, lily, and i have just made up. but hop on and it make it happen! check out their cake toast!

steph: angel food cake toast

michelle: yellow cake toast

alana: chocolate gingerbread cake toast

lily: grapefruit and earl grey cake toast

ras el hanout loaf cake toast with yogurt and sesame sprinkles

loaf cake from Aleksandra Crapanzano's the london cookbook

makes one loaf

ingredients

1 c unsalted butter

1/4 c treacle or blackstrap molasses

1/4 c golden syrup, preferably Lyle's

1/2 c dark muscovado sugar

2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp ras el hanout (recipe follows), or 1 tsp ras el hanout and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sel de Guérande or other fleur de sel

2/3 c buttermilk, preferably full-fat and artisanal

2 eggs, lightly beaten

for the glacé:

3/4 c confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 tsp ginger syrup from a jar of stem ginger, or bottled ginger syrup

stemmed ginger, for garnish (optional)

 

for serving:

yogurt

toasted sesame seeds

sprinkles

clues

preheat the oven to 350ºf. if using a convection oven, preheat the oven to 325ºf. butter an 8 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

in a small pot, warm the butter, treacle, golden syrup, and muscovado sugar over low heat until the butter is just melted. stir to combine.

sift the flour, ras el hanout, ginger, baking soda, and sel de guérande into a large bowl.

stir the molasses mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.

fold in the buttermilk and eggs. the ingredients must be well combined, but don't overwork the batter. a light touch is best.

pour the batter into the prepared pan. bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is set and springs back when pressed gently.

let the loaf cool to room temperature and wrap tightly in parchment paper for 2 days. this will make it nice and sticky. or give way to temptation and eat it straightaway. the flavors will be less concentrated, but the smell of it cooking makes waiting hard.

to make the cake toast, skip to the next step! if not making cake toast, use the glacé. to make the glacé, place the confectioners' sugar in a bowl and whisk the boiling water into the sugar, using just enough to get your desired consistency. stir in the ginger syrup. pour the glacé over the cake. if you have stemmed ginger, chop some and use as a garnish with a light shower of ras el hanout. candied or crystallized ginger would also be a lovely option.

for the cake toast, slice thick slices of the cake and toast it in a skillet over medium high heat with a little oil until browned and slightly crispy. top with yogurt, sesame seeds, and sprinkles. 

ras el hanout

from the london cookbook

makes 1/4 cup

ingredients:

2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom

10 saffron threads (optional), rubbed between your fingers until powdery

1 tsp ground mace

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

clue

combine all ingredients. 

leftover ras el hanout keeps in a tightly sealed jar for two months.

-yeh!

pictured: farmhouse pottery plate + cheese stone