Quince Marmalade

I am loving David Lebovitz' cookbook RIPE FOR DESSERT. His quince marmalade looks so good with Spanish Manchego cheese, one of my favorites which I always use for apple and fig grilled cheese sandwich. You will need 3 quinces and half a lemon.

To make: Place in a medium sauce pan 3 cups sugar and 4 cups water, bring to a boil. Quarter, peel and core the quinces then coarsely grate using a metal grater. Add the lemon half and the grated quince to the boiling syrup. Slow cook on medium heat until thick and reddish in color, about 30 minutes or when candy thermometer reads 220. Remove the lemon half and spoon into clear jar. Enjoy.

Celery Root Soup

My daughter has been nagging me to make this soup that I borrowed from my favorite food blog. The soup is really delicious, an excellent alternative to potato or corn chowder. The 2 strips of bacon is just the right amount of flavoring. Perfect with grilled (aged gouda) cheese sandwich.

ugly on the outside, super yummy in the inside

Sorbet In Winter

Costco always has something new in their warehouse that will surely make you buy (and become obese if it's food). I went this afternoon for more persimmons (there was none) and saw a table offering low fat, low sugar sorbet. After tasting the really really good ice dessert I noticed the single serving (about less than a C) containers: a very tiny real pineapple shell, a real coconut shell, hollowed out half orange and lemon rinds. The box contains 2 of each flavor : orange mango, lemon, coconut and piña colada. My freezer is full but I just can't resist them, nobody can, I think. As I was leaving the table a large group of women were already oohing and aahing. Costco is the devil!

I already had the orange mango....hmm tomorrow, the coconut, can't wait.

Note on the title: the weather is not so wintry nor Christmas-y the last week or so, specially today, high was 61° F in Ashburn, as high as 72° F in DC, that's hot! I hope it gets colder by Christmas.

Been Baking and Frosting The Whole Day

Today is my daughter's office Christmas party, she asked me 2 weeks ago to bake a dozen each of both the vanilla and red velvet cupcakes. Baking 2 half batches of different flavors is time consuming, I kid you not. It took me the whole day including frosting them and putting them on the carrying trays (and I don't get paid for my efforts). Hmm, I should be selling these cupcakes next time. I was worrying that they would get squished or damaged during transport, but then I saw this 3 piece gadget: baking pan, tray, and a cover that has a handle to carry both pan and tray and they all lock in place, very nifty idea. You can easily bring 2 dozens iced cupcakes with ease, without them touching and moving around. I love the person who invented this.