I thought I was going to be good and just cook dinner and look through my new Bon Appetit Magazine that came in the mail. I also am starting to plan what flower seeds I need to start right now. Then there is the flower box outside of my kitchen window that I have always been wanting to incorporate herbs with flowers so that when I want to season something, well, I would be able to just open my window and clip what I needed with the kitchen sink ever so conveniently located directly underneath the window. I think it would be perfect! For some reason, this is still on my to do list. . .but with all this set to the side burner my issue was with dinner tonight. . .and feeling a little deflated =. There is this cookbook that I just love and it is written by Mrs. Appleyard. The reason that I absolutely love this cookbook is because she writes the book like a story and yet it contains hundreds of wonderful recipes that all have a history behind them. The cookbook is seasonal, meaning that she has broken the book down into the different seasons of the year. Mrs. Appleyard loves to preserve food, has a freezer that contains tidbits of everything and she has the inner need to entertain and take care of everyone. . .and so, like my Grandma, my Mom and Mrs. Appleyard, I too like to can food (just learned how this last summer), keep my freezer stocked and my pantry stocked. The problem with the freezer being full of tidbits like homemade turkey stock, thick sliced bacon, a great sale on fresh prawns, etc., is that I have yet to learn how to catalog this huge freezer full of everything. You know what this means, I have to search and rescue from time-to-time so that I don't lose any of my treasures. I get all excited about all these new recipes, dig in my freezer to see if I still have blanched corn frozen from this last summers crop, only to discover that I really need to do something with several pounds of hamburger, 3 ribeye steaks, a ziploc bag full of leftover turkey meat and a Shrimp stirfry kit. Well, dinner tonight became homemade hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes. Oh yes! I had Yukon Gold potatoes that needed to be used. . .about 5 pounds worth, so mashed potatoes it was. I have learned to mash potatoes with 1/2 c. butter, 4 oz. cream cheese, salt and pepper for seasoning and some whipping cream to help contribute to the fluff and creamy texture. I also made the stirfry kit so that I could take some for lunch tomorrow. I felt completely bummed because nothing was new and exciting. Then I found this second wind and decided that I would throw together some Shortbread Biscuit cookies with Lemon Icing Filling for dessert. These little cookies are light, soft and have a crumbly texture. Very few ingredients are needed to make them and the longest period of the whole recipe is the waiting time for the cookies to cool so that the icing can be spread on and sandwiched between two of these cookies. The recipe comes from a lady in Brisbane, AU and she decided to share this recipe and I am so glad that she did!
Ingredients:200g (7 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
ICING
1 cup icing sugar
20g (3/4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbspn lemon juice (substitute with other flavouring as desired)
Directions:Preheat oven to 180 C (355 F)
Place butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer and beat for 8 - 10 minutes or until creamy and pale.
Add flour and beat until smooth dough forms.
Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls, place on prepared baking tray and press with a fork.
Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, cool on wire racks.
ICING
Mix all ingredients until smooth, Spread mixture on the base of half the biscuits and sandwich together with the remaining halves.
Enjoy!
Place butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer and beat for 8 - 10 minutes or until creamy and pale.
Add flour and beat until smooth dough forms.
Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls, place on prepared baking tray and press with a fork.
Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, cool on wire racks.
ICING
Mix all ingredients until smooth, Spread mixture on the base of half the biscuits and sandwich together with the remaining halves.
Enjoy!
