Boterkoek... a special treat for St. Nicholas' Day (December 6th)

Scrolling through an old cookbook this morning, I rediscovered a recipe one of my "mothers" gave me for Christmas my first year teaching.  

Boterkoek (butter cookies) is a Dutch treat.  It was often featured on December 6th, St. Nicholas' Day.  If you enjoy the richness of shortbread, you'll love this recipe.

Boterkoek for St. Nicholas' Day

This is the recipe I was given.  

Boterkoek

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup flour

1 egg yolk

Mix (low speed) until dough forms into a ball. (3-4 minutes) 

Knead on counter for about five minutes.

Pat into a greased 8" pie plate.

Glaze with some of the egg white.

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.  It should be 

nicely browned on top, but the inside should be slightly soft.

Cool before cutting into very thin wedges.

Cookies do not keep long, but if baked until done, 

they become too hard.

I'll definitely make this again, but here are a few things I learned today...

Because of that warning not to bake too long, I took mine out at 12 minutes.  Next time, I'd leave it in for a few minutes longer.  

When I googled other Boterkoek recipes to compare, I learned that many used almond flavouring and added almonds in a pattern on top.  I like the flavour of my version, but almonds would be nice to try.

A great website to check is The Dutch Table.  Their version of Boterkoek is similar, just a larger quantity and they've added vanilla and lemon!  A fancier  Boterkoek might also have almond paste sandwiched inside!  Yum!  

The Dutch Table shows how to press the traditional pattern on the top.  I tried pressing a design with tiny cookie cutters, but it didn't really show up well after baking. 

The Dutch Table - traditional pattern for Boterkoek

Would I make this again?  You bet!  Because it's a smaller quantity of dough and uses an 8" pie plate, it would be easy to make in a disposable, aluminum pan, perfect for a hostess gift.

See this recipe and other great treats at Weekend Potluck #44.

Learn to knit... more (free!) Christmas tree decorations

After knitting quite a few little stockings and hats, I've moved on this week to Christmas bells.  This has to be the easiest, quickest project yet!  

I started with this free pattern, but have made a number of adjustments (needle size, yarn, etc.) along the way.

Needles: 4.0 mm or size 6 (US)

Yarn: Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand 

Cast on 15 stitches then knit one row.

Row 2: Purl 5; knit 10

Row 3: Knit 15

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until you have about 38 - 40 rows.  Note how the rectangle begins to flare and the five knit stitches begin to curl.  Finish at the curled end (bottom of the bell).  

Leave a 2 foot tail when you cut the yarn.  Use that tail to sew the sides together (a tube shape).  Continue by gathering the stitches around the top and pulling tight to close off the top.  Now that you have a bell shape, put in a few stitches at the top of the bell to secure the yarn.  

But don't cut the tail.  : )

With a crochet hook, use the remainder of the tail to crochet 15 single crochet stitches to make a loop to hang your bell.  Stitch to secure the end of the loop at the top of the bell.

But don't cut the tail.  Not yet!  : )

Use the remainder of the yarn to sew a jingle bell inside.

NOW cut the tail.  : )

Since these little bells are just one colour, you can add a yarn "bow" (2 rows of 15 single crochet stitches), a ribbon bow or a Christmas button to add some extra Christmas colour.

I'm quite excited and looking forward to giving an assortment of these little knitted ornaments to two young families just starting their Christmas tree traditions!  If I have time before Christmas, I would also like to try the little mittens and bags pictured below.

Link here to Tiny Mittens

Link here to Little Bags

Have a great day!

From Santa's workshop,

Maggie

Check out Craftaholics Anonymous (Christmas Craft Linky Party) 

for this project and many more.

# 76 Homemade granola...

Guess what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow!

4 cups oats

1 cup dried fruit

(Your choice!  Raisins, craisins, dried apples, apricots...)

1 cup seeds and nuts

(Sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds...)

Mix in large bowl.

3/4 cup liquid honey

1/3 cup oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Whisk together and add to dry ingredients.

Mix thoroughly with wooden spoon.

Spread on large (12x17") pan with sides.

Bake at 300 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Stir every ten minutes while baking.

Makes 7 cups.

This would make a great gift for a hostess, neighbour, teacher...

# 75 DIY...free, downloadable letters for crafting

Here's something you might be interested in!

Leo Reynolds has an amazing photograph collection on Flickr!

In particular, look at his collections of letters and numbers.  You can choose a pre-made set of letters such as this one...

... or browse through individual letters for one you especially like.  For example, there are 973 photographs of the letter "A".  You are allowed to download and use the letters for non-commercial purposes.

Imagine printing out the letters for a child's name and framing them individually...  

Or, printing just a child's initial and using it in a collage frame of photographs...

# 74 What's for lunch? Potato soup...yum!

Maggie's Potato Soup

1/2 cup finely chopped onion or leeks

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

3 cups diced potatoes 

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon butter

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, pepper, parsley to taste

In a medium pot, melt butter and olive oil.

 Slowly, (low heat) saute vegetables at least ten minutes.

Stir every so often to make sure nothing is sticking.

Add chicken broth; bring just barely to a boil.

Simmer about half an hour.

With a potato masher, mash about half the potatoes.

Simmer another five minutes.

# 73 Cucumber flower cups - super simple!!

Today I discovered Superstore has online videos with one to two-minute "how-to" and recipe clips.  Click on the "recipes" and scroll through the pages to see what I found...

... a video, Beautiful Veggie Hors D'Oeuvres, shows how to make cucumber flower cups!    

I used an English cucumber to try this for myself.  It works!  Even the "twist gently to separate" part was actually very simple.  With some practice, I think I could make the sides thinner which would make the cups even more delicate.  

Filled with dip, these would be a nice addition to a veggie platter.

# 72 Learn to Knit...free Christmas tree decoration patterns

The hats are from Knitting On the Net - the simplest, quickest project imaginable!  I made the brim 10 rows so it looks a little fuller.  I'm using this pattern to learn how to use multiple colours of wool and create patterns.  The hats fit perfectly on top of a bottle of wine, beer or gourmet ______ if you want to dress up a hostess gift.

The stocking pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits is also free. I'm using it to learn how to follow a pattern chart and make heels.  It's a perfect size for some Hershey Kisses or a Matchbox car!