Sunday, December 2, 2012

Are You –ish?

It’s holiday time. Truth is, I’m sorry to say, this year the holiday season started (in commercials anyway) even before Halloween. I’m more of the “to everything a season” subscriber. Meaning October is for Halloween. November should focus on Thanksgiving, and the build-up for the December holidays shouldn’t start till the Thanksgiving dishes are being cleared.

Like everyone else, I’ve been thinking about the December holidays, which are more fluid for me as I’m Jewish and Chanukah is celebrated according to the Jewish calendar, landing on different dates each year. From that thought, my brain took a sharp left turn (as it tends to do) and I started thinking about that word: Jewish. It always bothered me, as words go, and it’s the “ish” I’m stuck on. “Ish” infers “not quite”. If I really give it some thought, most people these days do not follow every law, tenant, tradition, expectation of their religion. They have a belief, an identity, but they make it work within the context of their lives. I’m not even in the same zip code of what people would call a traditional Jew, so Jew -ish it is.

And it seems, as I think it through, I’m an awful lot of –ishes.

I bake to relieve stress. Unless you’re new here, this is not a revelation. I do develop my own recipes, but frequently I start out with a recipe and adapt it to my skill level and taste. Rarely do my attempts come out beautiful, but stress relief isn’t about beauty. I bake, a lot, but I’m hardly what I’d call a Baker. I’m more Baker  -ish.

And I remember fondly, bundling up my kids to take them to the hill behind my house to go sledding. What joy watching those kids slide and scream and laugh down that hill. But at about the 45th time I dragged that sled back up the hill, toes numb and nose running, when my kids would ask “Mom, isn’t this fun?”, no matter what I said out loud, in my head it was fun -ish.

As the sun was going down on a day of sledding, I’d come inside and we’d be frozen to the bone. I’d light a fire in the fireplace but my ears would still be red and my fingers stiff. I’d make the kids some hot chocolate and sit them at the counter with their cocoa and cookies .  . .

Chocolate and Strawberry Pinwheel Cookies | www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe

 Chocolate and Strawberry Pinwheel Cookies

. . . and I’d move to the living room with a steaming cup of coffee laced with a good shot of Irish Creme. And when that coffee went down, from the inside out, I’d finally start to feel warm -ish.

Another –ish, I remember calling my husband at the office and telling him I had cut my hair. When asked why I’d say “it was getting long -ish”. He’d say “oh no, is it short?” Well, short -ish.

And how many of us have been asked “we’re late, are you ready?” and answered with “another few minutes, I’m ready -ish."

My kids, like most, don’t keep their rooms clean. I gently remind them frequently, but every few weeks I insist. When they’ve hidden enough of their crap in drawers that no longer close, or moved enough junk to another position on their dresser, they’d tell me their room is clean. But they’re not fooling me. The best I can give them: clean -ish.


Are You  -ish? | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics




Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


Pinwheel Cookies
                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com
Ingredients, base recipe:  
1 stick butter, softened
1 stick margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Ingredients, Chocolate:
2 TBSP baking cocoa

Ingredients, Strawberry:
1/2 tsp strawberry extract
red food coloring
1 TBSP flour
Ingredients, Decorations:
chocolate jimmies (sprinkles)
multicolored jimmies (sprinkles)

Directions:
*Beat butter, margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt.
*Divide dough into 4 fairly equal sections. Leave 2 quarters as is.
*To one of the other quarters, add the baking cocoa. To the other, add the strawberry extract, red food coloring and 1 TBSP flour.
*Roll out each dough segment (separately) between 2 pieces of wax paper to about 9 X 11 inches.
*Carefully flip the chocolate layer on top of one of the plain layers and the strawberry layer on top of the other plain layer. Lay them flat in the refrigerator and chill approximately 1 hour.
*Using the wax paper to help you, roll up (the long side) until you have 2 tube shaped rounds, one chocolate and plain and the other strawberry and plain.
*Wrap each round in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put parchment paper onto baking sheet.
*Slice rolls into approximately 1/4 inch slices. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to cool completely.

35 comments:

  1. These cookies look delicious but way out of my league. (We have yet to make Tornado Cookies- Tiny Artist wanted to wait until "all the pies from Thanksgiving are gone so we have one treat at a time")

    I love the clean-ish. I think that's my entire house.

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    Replies
    1. You still have pies from Thanksgiving? I'm trying to remember if we still had pie the day after Thansgiving.

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    2. Well, no, we've been grocery shopping once since Thanksgiving and sans pies Tiny Bard wanted Oreos and talked his little brother into waiting for the Tornado Cookies, in his logic, "Mommy only bakes cookies at Christmas time and I want Oreos now." Long story.

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  2. God Help me I want to eat my phone to get to those cookies. I'm an -ish when it comes to time. Ill be there 1-ish. I was nearly late for my own wedding!

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    Replies
    1. I just love when a comment literally makes me laugh out loud, thanks.

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  3. Those cookies are beautiful. Puts me in the holiday spirit. Now I am ready to decorate the house...sort of ish....

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  4. About your kids cleaning their rooms, I completely know where you're coming from...too funny-ish! Only because it's not quite "hilarious" because I woke up this morning to a destroyed house after insisting to the kids last night that my house better be clean by the morning. Trash is overflowing from the trashcan, sink full of dishes, lights on all over the house and everyone is sleeping and for some reason...I'm not able to find one of the kool-aid pitchers. Afraid to ask where that may be....So I made a list of things for them to do today while I work, and taped it to the t.v.(because they are all still sleeping) and turned the breakers off to every room in the house except for mine. :)

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    Replies
    1. Oh, no. I'd be furious (no -ish), but I love the breakers thing, I'm going to have to remember that one!

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  5. I'm crafty-ish. Your cookies look yummy!

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    Replies
    1. I'm not even close to crafty -ish. I have crafty -ish envy!

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  6. Those are works of art. If I made them, they'd look like a pre-school craft project!

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    Replies
    1. Believe me when I tell you that if I can make them you can too. But I was glad to have this pic to prove I did it!

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  7. Beautiful cookies, Karen. Let's see... As we've talked about before, I couldn't even give my boys' room the "Clean-ish" score. More of Health Hazard-ish. "Ish" only as none of us has perished yet.
    You my friend are an excellent blogger. No "ish" about it.
    Happy December :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Shellybean. I always smile when I see you've left a comment. Even before I read it because I know I'll laugh.

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  8. I love this post. As a fellow writer-ish, artsy-ish always ready-ish I can totally relate. I have to say the pictures of your baked goods always look pretty to me, so in my mind there is no "ish" after your title of Baker. You will always be a baker to me.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the compliment. I say the same thing right back to you, you're hardly artsy-ish. You're an amazing artist.

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  9. You really need to send those cookies as a gift to your readers starting with me first. It's no good parading them in my face like that making me suffer as I watch in silence licking the screen. Be good-ish, and put them in a box-ish and send them quick-ish, ha ha ha ha.

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha ha, love that comment. Haven't figured out the logistics of sending the cookies to my readers yet, but I'm making them for a charity event this weekend...

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  10. Oh those cookies look amazing! I wish that I could come and take baking lessons from you. I'm unfortunately lacking on the culinary front in my tornado over here! By the way...my home resembles a break in right now. xx- M

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    Replies
    1. Although I'm not someone to take baking lessons from, I have found that a second set of hands in the kitchen can be very helpful . . .

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  11. They kind of look like log-cake cookies. I need to stop forgetting to eat before I visit your site. I will try to make these while my husband is off, during the holiday break...maybe :) They look delicious!

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    1. I'm making them again this week for a charity event. They take a little time but they're not hard and they're always a hit. I hope you like them!

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  12. They are dear. I love anything swirly! Thanks for linking to The 12 Days of Christmas!

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  13. I'm definitely a bombish cake maker :)

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    Replies
    1. Your baking is a win/win. Either it's edible or it's good for a laugh.

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  14. Cute post. The cookies look wonderful. I like pinwheels.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Dawn, my kids really like these too, and I like having 2 flavor choices.

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  15. No -ish about this post...it's awesome!! :D

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  16. I can finally see this great post! Thank you for sharing on Thursday's Treasures. I can't wait to see what you bring next week. <3 and hugs!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for making me aware of that. I'll have to think of something good for next week.

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  17. These are so fun, Karen!! Thanks for linking up to Tasty Thursdays at The Mandatory Mooch. Can't wait to see what you link up this week. Thanks, Nichi

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