Good Things by David

Citrus slice sugar cookies are a nice way to end the summer, whether you're at home with your family or at the beach enjoying a leisurely weekend.  A simple round cookie cutter is all that you need to make citrus slice sugar cookies by the dozen.  Lemon slices, lime slices and orange slices are sure to entice just about anyone who sees them. Citrus Slice Sugar Cookies After rolling out and cutting rounds of whatever size you wish, slice each cookie in half to create the citrus  wedges.  Bake per your recipe instructions and let them cool.   Royal icing should be made in batches and tinted in leaf green (a few drops of yellow will create a shade of lime), lemon yellow and bright orange.  Leave some plain white icing to pipe the pips and the pith of the citrus slices. Lemons, Limes and Oranges Working with flooding-consistency royal icing and #3 piping tips on all of your piping bags, outline and flood the base of a citrus slice in the color of your choice, a...

Summer is a time of bounty for us.  Several sets of catbirds have raised a few broods under our back porch and next to the house, the bees have been busy visiting the wildflowers, our resident groundhogs (we have two this year!) can't seem to stop eating, the robins, cardinals and bluejays are as active as ever, and gardens around the neighborhood are ready to burst with vegetables, fruits and herbs. I'm the first to admit that we're spoiled here in our part of Pennsylvania.  The more-than-average rainfall has been good to everyone's garden. I spent a morning over the weekend harvesting a few vegetables that were ready for picking, and I collected some eggs which were greatly needed in the kitchen. The kirby cucumbers are crisp and delicious right now (garden gloves were needed to pick these because of their very prickly skins).  I love using them in my salads, but they also make great pickles.  The carrots are also sweet and crisp.  If I'm not snac...

Every year, toward the end of June, I scour the farmers markets for sour cherries.  These incredibly delicious fruits have such a narrow window of opportunity at the market, that I waste no time in buying some whenever I spot them.  My favorite Amish farmstand near my home brings them in during the last two weeks of June.   Sour cherries fresh from the farmstand. In years past, I have made sour cherry pies, galettes and tarts, but I've never had the pleasure of making hand pies out of them.  I remember as a child how much my older brother and I used to love the Hostess hand pies which came in several flavors.  Apple and cherry were our go-to favorites, so I wanted to give my little desserts a bit of that nostalgia from childhood. Tea and a handpie. These are nothing like the very sweet, prepackaged variety found at the supermarket.  Made with a tried-and-true pate brisee crust, and a precooked sour cherry filling (this is key to making ...

It's one of my favorite times of the year.  Whenever I look at the calendar and realize that the Fourth of July is approaching, I long to make sugar cookies in the colors of our nation's flag.  I've made several different designs of iced cookies in the past showcasing our red, white and blue, but nothing beats making flag cookies. Having a variety of star spangled banner cookies for your Independence Day celebration, is a great way to usher in the summer holiday.  I love the way they look on white cake stands, such as these from my milk glass collection. While going through my cookie cutter sets, I immediately reached for some from Martha by Mail that I had never used before.  The large Flag & Shield cookie cutters are great for making generously-sized cookies, but you have to be careful with the flag's pole.  It has a tendency to break off when releasing the cookies onto lined baking sheets (if it does, simply wedge it back into place be...

Dear Readers,  I will be taking a small vacation from the blog through Labor Day Weekend, but rest assured that I will be back with lots of great stuff.  I'm currently working on reorganizing my cookie cutter collection (above), giving my treasures a much-needed space of their own.  Stay tuned for that post. I hope everyone is having a great summer! Cheers, David

Many of us are looking forward to the end of the season.  This is the time of year when kids are back from summer camp, the school year is about to begin for many, and when us bakers begin planning for the fall and winter baking seasons. I'm already anticipating making cakes, breads and cookies spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and clove, because I know that my house is going to have that wonderful medley of scents. However, it is still summertime and we should take advantage of the long days, the warm sunshine and the fleeting beauty of what mother nature has to offer.   Walking around the patio of the barn the other day, I was so happy to see the flowering joe pye weed buzzing with activity.  Such healthy, busy bees were jumping from flower to flower gathering as much pollen as possible to take back to their hives. These tight clusters of flowers seem so delicate and dainty, but rest assured, they can handle bees, butterflies and other insec...

Cool, refreshing gazpacho is just the thing to serve when it's hot outside. Using the freshest ingredients and a powerful blender or food processor, preparing some delicious gazpacho can take a matter of minutes.  Eaten throughout Spain, there are probably as many recipes for gazpacho as there are tapas bars. It's no wonder that this particular cold soup is popular.  It tastes of sweet tomatoes, cool cucumbers, mildly spicy because of the bell peppers, and surprisingly tangy because of the sherry vinegar.  Whether you decide to add bread to the soup, as per tradition in certain households,  make sure that your ingredients are absolutely fresh and blemish-free. My gazpacho doesn't include any bread, because I feel it doesn't need it, but if you wish, go ahead and create tasty croutons to add as a garnish.  What's even better is that it can be made with either ultra-fresh garden tomatoes or even peeled canned tomatoes.  There is a difference in flavor, ...

There is nothing like the colors of our American flag.  I love seeing that combination throughout the year, whether it's on people's porches, lawns or home decor, but I especially like it in the summer for flag day and around the Fourth of July. This year I decided to make some American flag-inspired cookies in various shapes in order to celebrate this country's red, white and blue.  With a few cookie cutters and some citrus-flavored royal icing, I quickly began to decorate cookies worthy of any patriotic get together this summer. What's nice about working on this type of project is that you can keep the cookie decorations and designs to a minimum.  What's important is to capture the spirit of America through the use of a rich, dark blue and a deep, dark red so that the cookies don't look too cartoonish. If you're handing these out to individuals, I highly recommend getting clear-topped boxes or clear cellophane bags so that the cookies can p...