Faux-Reos: When To Make Homemade Cookies?

Photo and recipe courtesy of King Arthur Baking Co.

Everyone should know where his or her food comes from, what's in it and what it takes to put it on the table, so I think everybody should have a few basic cooking or baking skills.🙂 Often homemade is healthier as you use better ingridients. That said, life is a balance. Who wants to spend all their time in the kitchen? So how do I decide between homemade or readymade?

If I can't make food, better, healthier, or cheaper, I buy it readymade. Oreos are one of my favorite store-bought cookies. I can't make them better than Nabisco Cadbury Milka, their manufacturer ... and not much cheaper either. 

Moreover, are cookies ever healthy? Really ... truly?! It's the sugar that's so bad for us ... as well as, eating too many cookies! So Oreos are a cookie I buy and never bake at home. BTW, if you can find the same crispy chocolate sandwich cookie manufactured by Hydrox, the original inventor of the recipe in your supermarket, buy them. As tasty as Oreos, Hydrox -- the 1st retailer to make them -- deserves your patronage!

Despite never making the chocolate sandwich biscuit myself, I'm curious to know what's in my favorite, sooo delicious, store-bought cookie. Let's turn to a professional baking company for a copycat recipe:

Faux-Reos by King Arthur

Ingredients for the cookie:

1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

12 tablespoons butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 large egg

1 tablespoon cold water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup good quality cocoa

Directions for the cookie:

1) In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, salt, and espresso powder. 

2) Beat in the egg, water, and vanilla. Next add the flour and cocoa (to get a stiff dough with no leavening agent, so do not worry about either).

3) Roll the dough into 2 teaspoon-size balls (the weight of a chestnut).

4) Place the balls on a greased, or parchment paper prepared cookie sheet, leaving 1 1/2'' - 2'' apart.

5) Flatten each cookie to about 1/8" with your fingers or a glass bottom dipped in cocoa.

6) Bake the cookies for 18 - 20 minutes and watch them closely to get a crispy-without-scorched cookie. When just right, remove them from the oven and cool completely.

Ingredients for the filling:

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cold water

Directions for the filling:

1) Beat together the sugar, shortening, and vanilla.

2) Add the water and continue to beat until smooth and spreadable.

3) Place 1 tablespoon of filling in-between 2 crispy cookies and squeeze to flatten.

Oh, what a lot of sugar, no wonder they're so tasty! Frankly, unless Oreos and Hydrox cookies both disappear from supermarket shelves, I don't plan to make them. Yet seeing the recipe is an education, isn't it ... and I'll hold onto the Faux-Reos recipe to make at home should the day arrive of empty supermarket shelves.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here's another easy King Arthur recipe I will make:

Photo and recipe courtesy of King Arthur Baking Co.

No-Bake Energy Bites

Ingredients:

3/4 cup any nut butter (I'll use peanut butter)

1 cup of rolled oats

1/3 cup of honey

1/3 cup of dried whole milk (I'll use dried skim milk ... all I ever buy and doubt with powdered milk, it makes much of a difference in taste. What am I ... a supermarket?🙂)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Select:

2 cups of mix-ins - such as mini chocolate chips, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, dried fruits or seeds, crushed candies (unhealthy), 1 tablespoon chia or poppy seeds (healthy) -- or whatever you like.

Directions:

1) In a mixing bowl, combine the 1st 5 main ingredients.

2) Next add 2 cups of whatever mix-ins you like.

3) Use your hands to mix and get the right consistency. Add more oats if too sticky, add a tad more honey if too dry.

3) Form into 1 tablespoon-size balls. Place on a cookie sheet. Wait at least 20 minutes for them to rest and firm up before eating.

Obviously, the Energy Bites are healthier than Oreo cookies, but sometimes you need an Oreo; and we all must practice moderation. Alas, staying healthy always comes down to portion control! I rarely eat more than 3 Oreos, yet rarely eat less than 3.🙂

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A Citrine Quartz

Photo: gia.edu

Citrine is a variety of quartz, which is a hard minimal composed of silicon dioxide (silica), whose color ranges from pale yellow to reddish-orange or brown and occasionally to green-yellow due to submicroscopic (too small to be seen by an ordinary light microscope) traces of iron in the crystal. Natural citrine is rare and tends to be pale in color. All of the bright yellow citrine stones on the market are in fact heated amethyst or smoky quartz. While the heat-treated amethysts produce attractive and sellable sunshine yellow stones, natural unheated citrine is rarer and thus has a greater market value.

The rarer natural citrines are the stones on the right. The rest of the citrines are citrine-heated-amethysts.

Citrine was 1st used in jewelry by the ancient Greeks between 300 - 150 BC. The yellow quartz rates a 7 on Mohs hardness scale, the same as tanzanite, zircon, and peridot yet is softer than diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, or topaz. It is suitable to wear as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings with proper care. 

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge's Citrine ring that she wears to events.

Citrine is November's birthstone. It's mined mainly in Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar. The sunshine shaded gem is thought to bring the wearer energy, as well as, prosperity. In general, citrine is good value for the money. The supply versus demand keeps the prices of this golden crystal affordable. You can buy a nice-sized translucent rock without paying an arm and a leg!

Effy designed citrine pieces - The necklace sold at Macy's online. In Macy's search box enter ''Citrine'' or ''Effy.''

A yellow stone, whether it is an ultra-expensive yellow diamond or less-expensive yellow quartz, is not my personal favorite hue in a gemstone, however, I like its brightness as part of a bouquet of colors. Just a personal quirk of mine as yellow isn't one of my favorite colors. I like it best as an accent hue, not as a main color -- not in clothing, nor in flowers, nor in jewelry. Everybody is different though, and there's no logic to what we like; they are only matters of personal preferences. Who knows, one day I may change my mind.💛🙂

Photo: Ethan Lazzerini of natural citrine

The Duchess of Cambridge, nee Kate Middleton seems to love her citrine ring and wears it to a number of functions. And hey, she's prosperous. So see it works! Perhaps she knows something I don't.😉

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3 Best Travel Jewelry Cases

Mostly I think it's a bad idea to take your jewelry with you on vacation. Strangers don't care, nor remember how you look and friends don't either, so why worry about valuables in unfamiliar settings with too many competing distractions?

On vacation, my habit is to wear a pair of earrings and a ring I never take off, even when retiring to bed. I don't want to stress about hotel safes or leaving gold and gemstones behind in a hotel room. If staying in the home of family or friends, however, I might bring a little more bling if there's a compelling reason ... although even then I prefer inexpensive pieces that can be lost. Frankly, while on vacation, I have no desire to be a jewelry minder.

Yet, there might be rare occasions where you need to wear something glittery. In such instances, I love the above inexpensive, scratch-resistant (1) CE (Case Elegance) Travel Jewelry Organizer. First of all, it's real leather with a sturdy interior that costs the same as vegan leather.

Inside, there's plenty of room and compartments to separate and protect everything you might wear: necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets. I think you could get away with fitting it inside a tote or large purse, and certainly, it's compact enough to lock inside a suitcase or room safe. It's good value for the money!

I doubt I'd spend double, yet I like the (2) Saffiano Leather Travel Jewelry Wallet even better since it, too, has all the features to separate your necklaces, smaller earrings, rings, and bracelets. It holds less than the structured case and yet folds to fit inside almost any purse. Not the steal in price as the 1st large case, but reasonable enough for real leather.

My next recommendation requires thinking outside of the box ... it's dirt cheap and even more portable. On vacation wear your necklace and watch or bracelet that you never take off and take up to 7 pairs of interchangeable rings and/or earrings with you in a (3) plastic pillbox that you can easily carry inside your handbag. It costs $1 at a dollar store. Brilliant, no?

Without a doubt, Coach has a gorgeous pillbox, but instead of purchasing it, take the money and buy one of Couch's regular handbags. You don't need a $50+ leather case to house a pillbox. We can simply gaze at it as eye candy for a while.😍 My motto is, "Don't buy pretty." 

Hopefully, you now have 3 useful and inexpensive suggestions to keep jewelry safe while on vacation. Still, I think the best advise of all is to leave the jewelry at home! And yet, worst-case scenario, I suppose if your house is burglarized while out of town, you'll be happy you brought a few pieces with you.🙂

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My Oma's Gurkensalat

Photo: Allrecipes

Whenever I see cucumbers I think of my Bavarian grandmother, who was the only person I know to make gurkensalat (or cucumber salad). My mother, an excellent home cook and her daughter, didn't make it. Mom always used cucumbers in a green salad to serve as a side with whatever dinner she prepared for us. I have memories of my Oma visiting us and making her gurkensalat in our kitchen. We liked it, but none of us have her recipe. As an adult, I had to try to figure it out from memories of eating it as well as seeing her make it:

Oma's Gurkensalat

2 cucumbers, peeled - (I don't peel them. Oma did.)

1 small yellow onion - sliced thin (or green onions when available)

1/2 cup of sour cream (or mayonnaise as a substitute)

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

3 tablespoons of cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of dried dill

Sprinkle of garlic

Sprinkle of paprika

Sprinkle of nutmeg 

Sprinkle of dried parsley

1 teaspoon of sugar, or to taste.

Optional: If the vinegar is too sharp, dilute it with 1 - 3 tablespoons of water ... but wait 30 minutes since cucumbers are largely water.

Directions:

1) Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible. Oma used a mandoline, but it can be done with a sharp knife.

2) Slice the onions thin too and toss them in with the cucumbers.

3) Add the sour cream (or mayonnaise). Oma loved sour cream.

4) Add the seasonings, and taste the salad. Adjust. Oma would sprinkle in a little sugar to balance the sour vinegar. 

She let the flavors marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving it. The water from the cucumbers will draw out, so don't add tablespoons of water to counter the sharpness of the vinegar right away. Let the salad settle first. 

After chilling, it is ready to put on the table. Gurkensalat is a refreshing, light side dish with a crunch. Enjoy!

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Summer Sale On Dresses And Swimsuits

Three blogs ago I featured two end-of-summer sale dresses I added to my wardrobe for next year. Here are the dresses and swimsuits I passed on buying to be financially responsible. They are equally stylish and excellent buys! 

Nowadays I try super hard to buy everything I need without giving in to purchasing lots of other things I simply want! Far from fretting, I fully expect the following cute pieces to return next year, perhaps slightly tweaked or in new colors, but I'm sure I'll get another chance to acquire them if I have a true need. Meanwhile, if you (unlike me) require new clothes for next summer, you can't beat the following in vogue dresses and swimsuits at fabulous reductions:

1) Landsend Cotton Jersey Sleeveless Swim Cover-up Dress (top image👆) - The 100% soft cotton jersey is a thick fabric with a notch neck and neatly finished armholes that you can wear as a summer dress when not covering up a bathing suit. Why not, it's adorable!

2) Columbia Freezer III Dress - The  Freezer III dress made its feature debut on THE SAVVY SHOPPER in early July and now it's on sale! Its wicking fabric pulls moisture away from the body to keep you dry and cool. In addition, the ultra-dapper summer dress has UPF 30 in its fabric to block UVA and UVB rays. Some of the patterns are gone, but not all, and the classic dress should return again next summer.

3) Swim Solutions - Macy's has tons of chic swimsuits marked down. A brand I especially love, Swim Solutions offers ultra-flattering designs, full support (in the bust, waist, and bottom), plus minimizer-sliming coverage. The brand is of top-notch quality for less -- and since sizes are going fast, I'll link 2 places you can find them -- at Macy's and Amazon.

The devil is tempting you, my lovelies!👅👺 Take advantage of the sales if you need something for next year. The dresses and swimsuits will return next season at their full retail price. Me ... I'm trying to be a good minimalist. 😇

Here's the swimsuit I selected in 2020. It came back in 2021 but has sold out again. As you can see, I wouldn't have lost out as there are plenty of gorgeous suits on sale now!

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No More Vegan Leather Shoes For Moi

Take a look at the last pair of vegan leather shoes I expect to ever buy. I'll consider imitation leather for handbags or articles of clothing, but not for shoes. In my experience, ''liberated leather'' just can't match the fit or comfort of genuine leather shoes. There's always an unexpected issue with them.

To the left is exhibit A, my JBU walking shoes: Adorable style ... and for short walks, they are fine. But, the vegan leather is stiff, and it never softens. After a summer of wear, the shoes haven't conformed to my feet fitting like a glove as real leather tends to do. Fake leather doesn't seem to stretch or give to accommodate a toe ... and the sides of the shoes puff out when I take a step, not hug my feet as leather does. 

Luckily they were a T.J. Maxx find, so a bargain. Certainly, I like the brand, JBU, which makes a quality orthopedic-approved footbed, but in the future, I'll always pursue this retailer's and all shoes carefully to ensure I'm buying real leather. These shoes in leather would be perfect!

For the lesser ticket price I paid at TJ Maxx I'll get my money's worth, yet I want shoes to do it all, i.e. carry me over short and long terrains so I can own fewer pairs of shoes.

Still, I gave it a try. I wonder how people who wear only vegan leather shoes manage? Are they mostly in sneakers? Do they avoid hard concrete pavement? Are they the taxi and Uber set? Hmm, I would miss the sights, sounds, and easy exercise of walking all over Manhattan.

Next let's look at another brand, a leather shoe I may buy next time! Technically a sandal -- a hybrid, closed-toe walking shoe, if you will. Customers rave about them: The Keen Women's Rose Sandal has tons of glowing customer reviews on multiple sites! Similar to the JBU in style, support, and rubber soles.

Two brands to keep on our leather-preferred radars! What's more, both companies bring back their popular walking styles season after season (with minor tweaks) and you won't miss out by not ordering them before you need a pair. Should you need a pair though, the sales are on!

Teva Leather Omnium 2 for men

Another company, Teva, with a similar type of walking/sporty shoe is perhaps superior in quality -- but has only a leather option for men right now. Check back in the future to see what comes out for women. Not everybody needs waterproofed shoes all the time, which may explain why leather is disappearing as the material for these types of airy walking shoes.

A closed-toe-airy-walking shoe is versatile. Not only will it take you from summer to fall, but you can wear them when open-toe sandals are too slight or casual. They are sandals bumped up a notch to casual smart. Make them in durable leather, please!

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Test Kitchen's Easiest Ever Drop Biscuits

All photos courtesy of Test Kitchen

Since America's Test Kitchen uploaded its video on YouTube, I'm bringing it here for you, my readers. Thank you, TK for making the recipe publicly available for all of us to make! 

The drop biscuit recipe uses cream instead of butter and buttermilk, and this allows us to break a cardinal rule in biscuit making which is keeping ingredients ice cold. It also eliminates the steps of rolling out and cutting the dough into biscuits.

Test Kitchen's Easier Ever Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:

Dry:

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons sugar (it browns yet will not noticeably sweeten the biscuits)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda (for flavor and browning)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Wet:

1 cup cream 

Directions:

1) Toss the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk them together.

2) Heat the cream in a microwave to 95 - 100 degrees F. Takes 60 - 90 seconds. You can't omit this step as it melts the butterfat in the cream thinning it to get the right consistency to make a dropable dough. If you leave the cream cold as you would to make the perfect classic biscuits, the batter will be too dry and then if you add more cream to combine into a dough, the butterfat will melt while baking in the oven, turning the drop biscuits into pancakes.

3) Combine the heated cream into the dry ingredients and don't be afraid to mix well. The high-fat content in the cream will keep the dough from forming too much gluten. Another rule you can break with this recipe is not touching the biscuit dough too much.

Now we come to the easy part!

4) Spray a 1/3 measuring cup with cooking spray, scoop up the dough and drop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat for 10 biscuits. With your hand feel free to get in there to pretty up your biscuits.

5) Bake in a 450 degree F preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes. Rotate the tray halfway through the baking. When golden brown and done in the middle, remove from the oven. (see top image👆).

Test kitchen suggests melting 2 tablespoons of butter to brush on the top of each biscuit after you pull them out of the oven.

Eat the biscuits while they are warm. Enjoy!

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The Swing Dress Is The Bomb

Retailers are now running their end-of-summer sales, so I bought 2 new bargain swing dresses for next year. Moreover, I could still wear at least one of them during our Indian summer, early fall days.

IMHO, the swing dress is very stylish on most figures, and on hot summer days with no seam grabbing you at the waist it's cool and comfortable too.

So without further ado, let me tell you about the 2 dresses I bought. From Landsend and with a swingy-silhouette, the two dresses are 100% linen, machine washable, above-knee in length, and have pockets! All features I love! Regularly $68 bucks, luckily reduced to under $30! A steal considering how long they'll last with proper care. 

Ordering from a catalog can be tricky, especially with a swing dress. You don't want a swing dress that is too boxy or long, as it will look like you're wearing a tent or sack. Fortunately, these two do not disappoint. They are cut to flatter, a perfect fit, and feminine. In fact, they look much cuter trying-it-on than they photograph! What a relief!! I am glad I ordered them!

Can you guess which of the two, in my opinion, might take me into the early fall?

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Baked "Fried" Catfish And Chips

Photo: Delish Restaurant Fied Fish

Fried fish and chips (a/k/a french fries) are a favorite meal of mine when eating out. I grew up in a town where you could order scrumptious fried fish and fries in many places from seafood restaurants to Catholic parishes and the American League. It was a cheap eat! For this reason, we never made it at home.

Surprisingly, it's harder to find good fish and chips in Manhattan although we are surrounded by water ... and when you do find it, it can be expensive.

In August I discovered just how easy it is to make homemade fish and chips. I defrosted 1 pound of catfish filets, but you can use whitefish or your favorite mild fish. I've made it 3 times already and will publish my recipe so you and I can return here to make it again. (After 3 Fridays, I don't wish to keep reinventing the wheel!):

Fish and Chips

Ingredients for the Baked "Fried'' Catfish

16 oz of catfish filets 

1/4 cup of all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2/3 cup cornmeal (I have sometimes mixed cornmeal with bread crumbs, but the cornmeal is all you need.)

1 1/2 teaspoons of Zatarain's Creole Seasoning (or salt)

Sprinkle of garlic powder

12 turns (1/2 teaspoon) of the black pepper mill

1/4 teaspoon of paprika

1 tablespoon Zatarain's Crab Boil seasoning (Omit if you don't have it.)

Directions:

1) Pour the all-purpose flour into a bowl (or onto a big plate) and roll the fish filets in it.

2) Scramble the eggs and add the lemon juice in a bowl and dip the fish into the egg mixture.

3) Next coat the filets of fish with cornmeal and spices.

4) Lay on a cookie sheet (I use a non-stick silicone mat) but you can butter the pan, or spray with non-stick butter or olive oil to keep from sticking.

Ingredients for the French Fries

4 long potatoes, cut lengthwise

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt or Creole salt

Black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Toss the raw potatoes into a bowl.

2) Coat with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt, pepper and spice to taste.

3) Line the raw fries on a cookie sheet.

4) Place the trays of fish and french fries into a preheated 425 degrees F oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until both are cooked and golden brown. 

Alternately, if you don't mind the cleanup or calories, you can deep fry your fish and fries in very hot vegetable oil ... for 5 - 8 minutes. 

Reheated ... browner but still delicious. Steak fries stay moist and crispy the 2nd time around.

When I moved to New York City, the meal I missed the most was fried fish with french fries. So ingrained was it to eat out, I never tried making fish and chips at home. It's so simple. Better late than never. Don't forget the ketchup or tartar sauce. (I'm happy with ketchup.)

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