Athena Plichta Photography

It wasn't intentional. Making two three things last week that had nuts in the recipes.

Peanut Butter Mini Doughnuts (from So Sweet!).

Pistachio cupcakes with pistachio buttercream. Recipe from King Arthur Flour. I skipped making the buttercream as I had some left over from the first Monthly Miettes challenge. All I had to do was make pistachio paste to mix with the buttercream. You can buy it or make your own: instructions here or here (just the paste, though the pudding looks good too). The buttercream is fantastic alone.

My husband recently made a delicious pesto with pistachio nuts, served with pasta and shrimp. Yum.

For Mother's Day I made banana pancakes with macadamia nut sauce (a couple posts down) -- this is a favorite menu item at a popular restaurant called Boots & Kimo's on Oahu, Hawaii (where I lived for 7 years). I have a couple more pics from that shoot to share soon.

does anyone know what the flower below is called?

Road trips with friends are special, especially when you're with an old friend you haven't seen in a while; time in the car is spent catching up on lives and happenings (including a fair amount of gossip), cracking jokes, and snacking on chocolate chip cookies made just for the occasion. When said road trip takes place on U.S. 1 through Big Sur, there's no doubt a shared sense of awe and reverence at the beauty of the surroundings. 

We drove the meandering two-lane highway from Monterey to San Simeon, hugging the Pacific on one side, the edges of the Los Padres National Forest on the other. I took mental notes of interesting landmarks and campsites, vista points and small towns we passed, making a promise to come back again and pause a little longer the next time.

Our destination was the Hearst Castle (north of San Luis Obispo) but we made a planned pit stop to Big Sur Bakery on the way as I'd heard so much about it. I ordered a mocha, and we bought a lemon curd-filled donut and apple strudel to go. Flanking the bakery and restaurant we discovered the colorful and delightful Big Sur Spirit Garden as well as the one-room schoolhouse you see above. Just a cool little spot all around. Luckily I live only an hour away so I could easily see this area becoming a day retreat. Will share some photos of Hearst Castle soon; it deserves its own post.

hope all you moms and moms-to-be had a wonderful day. i made this little breakfast for myself this morning (after being spoiled with a lovely pre-Mother's Day dinner out last night, and again tonight treated to an equally delicious homemade dinner). it is reminiscent of a meal i shared with good buddies back in hawaii. the good ol' days.

yes, this is a contrived shot (as many are, i suppose) but i thought it would be fun to do as i have some of this laying around for research/planning/pleasure reading. a lot is stuff i'm bringing next month, though chancho the pig is likely staying home. and it's not just paris i'm dreaming of, but it seems to be the city i gravitate to most when i think of france... 

i'm excited to see my friend from high school... we are hitting big sur bakery (maybe) and the hearst castle this week. lasting friendships are hard to come by so i'm grateful to have had her in my life for so long. have a great week everyone.

one of my photography idols.

We stayed at the Wawona Campground (near South entrance to the park). Less crowded and touristy and therefore more peaceful than campsites in the Valley (35 miles away ~ scenic drive). The waters of the Merced lull you to sleep at night.

We went away for a couple days to one of our favorite places. Semi-roughed it... no showers, nightly temps in the 20's, incredibly cramped in our trailer... we all came home with the beginnings of colds and sniffles and reeking of campfire (still are).

We'd do it again, of course. 

My first time cooking with rhubarb... did not go as planned. 

I made these rhubarb crumble bars from Sweet Home by (former Cookie contributor) Rebecca Ffrench. I found that it's best not to mix too much of the rhubarb with the brown sugar. I did, unknowingly, resulting in a very mushy bar. It didn't take away from the flavor, however, and I can say my first experience with rhubarb was a good one.

A nice article on rhubarb, with a recipe for rhubarb crumb cake from Brown Eyed Baker. Michelle encountered the same issue as I when she tossed her rhubarb with sugar, releasing its juices and causing an excess of liquid.

***

I shared this elsewhere but can't help doing it again.

We are getting a puppy in a few months :) Met them last week when they were only 6 days old; their eyes were still closed shut and their mobility was limited, save for rolling and climbing over each other. Both my husband and I had dogs (among other pets) growing up and now we want our kids to experience the joy of having a dog who will be a part of the family for a long time. If anyone has any puppy training tips, I'd love to hear them.  

***

(and saved the best for last...) If you have a sec, hop on over to A Subtle Revelry today and check out my Mother's Day-inspired shoot. Breakfast in bed (especially if it consists of banana-nutella and strawberry crepes and almond croissants) is what we mamas all hope for.

p.s. I'm so excited to announce that I'm a new monthly food contributor over at A Subtle Revelry. Look for a post every month in the Thursday food series. Thanks so much for having me on your lovely blog, Victoria :)

I shared the photos above last summer. It was taken on our first trip to Yosemite National Park.

Currently reading (again) and engrossed in Annie Leibovitz's Pilgrimage. I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of Annie's work, and/or you're a history buff and interested in famous and notable Americans. The fascinating section on John Muir and Ansel Adams and their ties to Yosemite reminded me of our time there last August.

We are returning very soon, this time with a Scamp. Should be fun. These are old pictures but hopefully there will be new ones to post shortly.

(only a few weeks before we visited Yosemite, three hikers fell to their deaths at Vernal Falls, above. I still remember looking at the 'Missing' flyers with their pictures, shocked. Two of the bodies were finally found five months after the accident, after river levels receded. So sad.)

in the gift shop parking lot

loving spring here and witnessing nature's reawakening. the flowers in bloom are always a favorite. the kids and I went to the farmers market last week. we came home with a few friends. strawberry, peppermint, basil. not pictured: sun gold cherry tomato, pink variegated lemon tree.

our backyard. and little treasures we found in the ground.

The Monthly Miettes challenge for April was Tarts. Aimee of Food, Je t'Aimeé and creator of the Miette baking challenge gave us a lot of freedom this month. We could choose to make anything from the Tarts chapter in the Miette book: Chocolate Truffle Tart, Lime Meringue Tart, Lemon Tart, Pastry Cream and Fresh Fruit Tart, Banana Cream Tart, or Pecan Tart.

All sounded appealing to me but for the sake of photography, I chose the fruit tarts because I knew whatever berries I used would give nice pops of color to the images.

So I baked tartlettes (mini tarts) filled with pastry cream and topped with fruit. Most of the tart recipes use pâte sucrée, a rich and buttery sweet pastry crust that is more shortbread than flaky in texture. The vanilla bean-infused pastry cream is the perfect complement to the crust, and the tart wouldn't be complete without a serving of sweet, fresh berries (nectarines, peaches, and apricots are also recommended; figs work great in the fall). If you can manage to get all three (crust, cream and fruit) in one bite, it's a moment to be savored.

I ate a whole tartlette last night at 1:30, as I was working on this post (dinner was skimpy).

The rules of Aimee's challenge say to eat a slice of goodness for breakfast at least once so I guess that means I'm obligated to fulfill that duty this morning...

Hope you can join us for the Monthly Miettes... there's actually still time to participate this month. The deadline is next Wednesday, April 25. Aimee will post a round-up of all the tart posts shortly after on her blog. Look here for the March list of those who made the iconic Miette cake, the Tomboy. Making these tarts was, in my opinion, a cake walk compared to the Tomboy.

While on the topic of Miette, I had the fortune of visiting their shop at the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco last month. I was there to shoot for A Subtle Revelry a second time. Love Victoria and her passion project that is A Subtle Revelry and Styled., her monthly e-mag. A few of my images from the Ferry Building are in the latest Styled. Also pleasantly surprised to see one of my photos from the Farmers Market make the cover :)

Check it out here: Styled. Issue 6.

Some additional scenes from inside and outside the Ferry Building.

These images are from last December when we drove north to a kiwi U-Pick. Yes, 4 months ago. Swanton Berry Farm is located off US 1, north of Santa Cruz and an hour or so south from San Francisco. Once you've made it past Santa Cruz, it's a peaceful, scenic drive along the PCH. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of the olallieberry and strawberry seasons to go fruit picking again.

Just a few minutes' drive from the main Swanton Berry farmstand is the kiwi orchard where we loaded up buckets with kiwis and hauled them on Radio Flyer wagons.

on the way home

I sheepishly admit that the kiwis I harvested many moons ago were finally used/eaten this weekend. Sure, we ate a few during this long stretch, but I held on to the majority of those kiwis, perhaps hoping for an out-of-this-world kiwi recipe to come along. Unbelievably, quite a few of them survived and were sweet and juicy, albeit not as fresh as they were months ago. They were firm when I picked them, ripening slowly, patiently in the fridge.

This fruit cobbler is easy to throw together using pantry staples and the fruit(s) of your choice. Though I've been moving away from making recipes from blogs (forcing myself to use my cookbooks more), this dessert, in all its simplicity, was difficult to refuse. The fact that you can bake and serve straight from the skillet won me over.

I'd like to try fresh apples or a variety of berries next time. 

Feel free to add whipped cream, ice cream, or a smattering of powdered sugar.

Recipe from Beautiful Canvas.

Also, check out Deb's wonderful Kiwi Cake. She, along with her husband and my daughter, were my companions on the kiwi orchard trip.

Who is with me in the 'Hopelessly Obsessed with Cookbooks' club?

The addiction is a little out of hand lately. Here are a couple of books that I recently found...

The Sugar Cube by Kir Jensen. It's available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released in a few weeks, but it's already on the shelves at Anthropologie (which is where I got my copy). 

Initially, the cover caught my eye, and as I started flipping through the pages the names of the recipes did, too. Many of them are clever, and a lot of the recipes are interesting in their ingredient list, and/or   different in a 'challenging me in the kitchen' sort of way. I made the Scone Thugs-n'-Harmony :)  

The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. Unfortunately for U.S. readers, the book is only available in the UK at present. When I ordered it two weeks ago through a UK seller on Amazon, it was much more reasonably priced, not the $70+ it's being sold for now.

A blogger friend pointed me to a site that talked about her new cookbook. This led me to her blog and in an instant I totally fell in love with the charming Rachel and her tiny Paris kitchen. 

Her illustrations endeared me to her even more. As a result I've been secretly practicing my drawing skills on my new favorite app, Paper. The tool from the free version is beautiful and will make you feel artistic, too.

Ok, tangent end.

I decided to go easy and make the madeleines from her book, minus the lemon curd and raspberries. There's leftover batter so I may try that variation tomorrow or the next day. 

The madeleines were delicious beyond compare. I'm relieved they turned out, especially after many a baking failure lately.

The little tea bag holder was on sale at Target so I grabbed it. I first saw it on Julie's amazing blog Always With Butter.

Update: these are the madeleines baked with raspberries, with blood orange curd piped in the center. Yummy.

The end.

Links of interest:

-this is a profound post for me. I can relate to Tara in many ways.

-seriously thinking of making this cake for the kids.

-don't forget to vote!

This month I participated in a baking challenge created by Aimée of Food, Je t'Aimée called Monthly Miettes. It wasn't just any challenge though; it involved making something out of the beautifully designed and scalloped pages of Miette by Meg Ray. I'd been eyeing this book for a while and thought it was a sign to finally buy it. What's especially cool about Monthly Miettes is that Aimée wrote to Meg about her idea and she replied, totally supporting the challenge!

I love Meg's story on what inspired her to create Miette, which has become such a signature bakery in San Francisco and beyond. I'm fortunate to live a couple of hours away from her shops in the Bay Area, and even luckier to have visited both locations. They are pure eye candy and offer satisfying treats for those with a sweet tooth.

Aimée chose the Tomboy Cake for this month's Monthly Miette challenge. It graces the cover of the book, setting the tone for the delights to be found inside (really!). Why is it called a Tomboy? Meg says, "This cake has a gamine quality, a little rough around the edges—a bit of a tomboy with a little rose on top." It's a 6" 3-layer double chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream frosting. In other words, deadly for your diet. I promised myself to abstain from baking for at least a week after making this cake. The buttercream alone is kryptonite. 

I thought this was a semi-involved recipe with a couple techniques that seemed time-consuming, but necessary. One of the reasons I joined was to be challenged, and indeed I was. I consider myself slightly above novice when it comes to baking skills and I knew after reading through the recipe I'd need to split up the work over two days. It's entirely possible to make it in one day though. If there's anything I'd take away from the experience it is to be prepared (mise en place is important here) and to read the recipe thoroughly, several times even, before you begin.

The results were worth it. Mine didn't come out looking perfect or exactly like the picture on the cover (think edges that stuck to the pan, lopsided stacking, etc...) but I didn't mind; its dark layers contrast with the pale pink frosting, making it such a photogenic and striking cake even with the imperfections. It's rich, moist, and chocolately with just the right amount of sweet buttercream frosting.

I know I'm looking forward to the next Monthly Miette (hope to see some of you there); thanks so much, Aimée and Meg.

(pssst! you can find the recipe online here :)

Today, March 20, is Jour du Macaron (Macaron Day). Declared by none other than the 'Picasso of Pastry,' Pierre Hermé himself, this day celebrates the small, colorful confection that has taken the world by storm.

Since I'm at least 2 hours away from any bakery handing out free macarons today, I still wanted to pay homage but wasn't sure I'd be able to come up with something on my own. As it turns out, an idea for a new macaron (to me, anyway) occurred when I realized that this is the opening week of The Hunger Games, the wildly popular trilogy-turned-into-a-movie(s). I've read all three books by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay) -- at a record speed, I must say; a huge accomplishment as I usually fail to finish any book I start. I'm eager to trek to the theater at some point to watch the cinematic adaptation of the first book in the series.

I won't say much about the story here but this macaron was inspired by the teenage heroine, Katniss Everdeen, the Girl Who Was on Fire. In one scene early in the first book, she and her friend, Gale, are in the woods where they frequently, and illegally, hunt. They're sharing a snack of fresh bread topped with basil and goat cheese as well as blackberries they've foraged. Food, and the lack of it, in their post-apocalyptic world, is an important and recurrent element in the books.

Well, you may have guessed where this is going. It's a little silly but I was inspired by a simple meal described in a novel. Macarons were probably nonexistent in the fictional world of Panem but combining Macaron Day and The Hunger Games was too hard to resist. I made a macaron filled with a goat cheese-basil buttercream and at the center of each macaron is a small dollop of blackberry preserves. The decoration on the shells are red, orange, and yellow pearl dust -- to represent fire/Katniss. Hey, it's just my interpretation.

Watch out, Downton Abbey could be next...

The macs are supposed to chill out in the fridge for 24 hours so I don't have a report on what one tastes like with all the flavors melded together, but biting into the sample above did not make me want to trash the batch. So that's a good sign. I think the buttercream could use some tweaking, in incorporating the basil better, perhaps even adding blackberries directly into it.

Here are a few pics of the cake I made for my son for his birthday. It took me a while to decide on a cake; I pulled out all of my baking books and took over the family room looking for the perfect recipe. I finally chose the triple decker cake, a quintessential birthday cake, from Home Baked Comfort. Instead of only 3 layers, I made it hard on myself challenging by creating 6 layers (a PITA when you have only one cake pan) and colored each layer a different shade of green; thanks to Pinterest and Whisk Kid for the ideas and inspiration.

For the frosting, I went with a mint buttercream recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. It makes more sense to pair mint with chocolate (the buttercream goes with their Grasshopper Cake) but alas, the boy doesn't like chocolate cake. It turned out splendidly anyway. He told me things like, "Mom, this is the best cake ever," and "You can make this anytime!" Those are words a mama likes to hear. Next time I'll buy extra cake pans.

p.s. all shots were taken between approx. 6:30-7:30pm... this is why I love DST. I also hate it as it's still kicking my butt in the mornings!

I've 0% Irish blood. However, I love mint and like green. It's my son's favorite color and his birthday is the day after St. Patty's Day. All acceptable reasons to flavor and dye accordingly.

Thin Mints, recipe from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day (love thumbing through this cookbook at the moment).

Bailey's Marshmallows, recipe adapted from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook.

Lime Curd Macarons. Lime curd recipe from The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum.

Fresh Mint Macaron recipe from Macarons by Pierre Hermé. Ganache is white chocolate, creme de menthe, and cream infused with fresh mint, with an addition of finely chopped mint leaves.

signs of spring

You read it right. It's tomato soup in a cake. Before you turn your nose up -- I did initially -- realize that it has a very slight hint of tomato flavor, and if you didn't know that soup was one of the ingredients, you might be scratching your head wondering what was in it. 

The rest of what makes up the cake are spices that remind you of pumpkin or sweet potato pie, such as allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. This cake is actually pretty good. To divert your attention from the not-quite-level layers and amateur frost job, I made a fancy (not really) banner with the Campbell's soup label.

Flour, sugar, and... tomato soup?

I had cake for breakfast this morning, sipping my coffee from an old soup cup -- had to stick with the theme, right?

Tomato Soup Cake with Mascarpone Frosting from Baked: Explorations by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito.

And for those fans of Danish photographer Ditte Isager (my hero), I came across this interview in a Google search a couple nights ago. She talks about her beginnings in photography, her education, and working with Chef René Redzepi on his cookbook Noma. It's a wonderful piece that touches on her photographic process and philosophy, most definitely worth the time to listen to.

Please check out the newest issue of Styled. magazine, a montly e-publication that celebrates... celebration and merry making. Victoria is the wonder woman behind it all and she puts out a stunning magazine every month with the help of dedicated contributors; in addition to producing the mag, her blog, A Subtle Revelry, is something to behold. She is also a busy mom to twin toddlers... phew! I admire her greatly and hope she takes frequent naps in the next few days to rest up after launching another successful issue.

I'm honored to be in the magazine with many talented, creative people. My Light and Dark photo spread starts on page 13, and it's my first food piece. 

Here are a few of the photos that didn't make it into the magazine.

Read Styled. Issue 5

I made honey butter today. I also attempted to make yeast rolls; the dough never rose but I baked them anyway.

Inspiration and instructions on these beautiful blogs:

Pure Vege

Chez Us

(I wanted my butter a little on the sweet side so I added about 2 tbsp of honey to the butter in the last step)

I had no idea it was so easy.

I saved the buttermilk (extracted from the whipped cream) for future use.

So good.

The last couple of weeks I've had the urge to bake... a lot. I've come across countless books, magazines, and blogs over that time, and it seems the list of cakes, cookies, pies, breads, etc. to make continues to grow. Although I've been in a styling rut (it kind of stresses me out nowadays), I tried to shoot everything, including the semi-failed recipes. 

On that note, I apologize there aren't any recipes posted but I've made sure to link to sources. 

Banbury Tarts from Cook's Country Lost Recipes. The filling of this tart is made up of raisins cooked in a lemon syrup. I'm still working on making the perfect pie dough; not quite there yet.

Peanut Butter Honeycomb Pie from Bon Appetit. I burnt the honeycomb, which is a shame as I was really looking forward to eating it. Note to self: next time use a deep saucepan as instructed; baking soda + heat create an interesting volcanic effect. 

Polka Dot Cheesecake from Maida Heatter's Cakes. This is one of the rare cookbooks I have that doesn't contain a single photo of a finished recipe. However, I was drawn to the different and interesting cakes within, including this cheesecake.

Banana-Rum-Raisin Ice Cream from Martha Stewart Everyday Food, March 2012. I'm pretty weak when it comes to booze. I thought this ice cream had an overwhelming rum taste that killed the rest of the flavors. I'd cut back next time. Hooray for making ice cream without an ice cream machine though. 

Zucchini Cream Cheese Pound Cake from the new Joy the Baker Cookbook (an instant fave -- both recipe and book. go get your copy asap).

I had some oranges so decided to add a bit of zest and juice to the batter. See the tiny specks of orange?

Here's a tip I discovered when I bought this plastic bowl with lid for a $1... you can use it to store cakes (depending on the size and height) when you don't have a regular tin or cake stand with a dome. It works well upside down as it does right side up: place the cake on the inside part of the lid and cover with the bowl, pressing down to seal. Voilà. Instant storage.

This is Love Apple Farms. Located in Santa Cruz, LAF practices biodynamic agriculture, exclusively supplying the world-renowned Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos with fruits, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers. A variety of classes, workshops and events are also held at LAF, one of them being the popular macaron class taught by Chez Pim.

Deb and I arrived early for the class and walked the grounds to kill time.

At 11, we gathered in the classroom to soak in Pim's knowledge and observe her demonstrate the Italian method of making macarons. Each place at the table had a plate of two beautiful macarons made by Pim herself the night before. They were filled with matcha green tea buttercream with a spot of jam in the center of each. Seeing and more importantly, tasting, those perfect macarons, made me excited and anxious all at once to get started.

Pim expertly performing macronnage, and filling a pastry bag. Considering this is the step where I tend to screw up, I paid close attention.

Piping a bad batch of macarons. She wanted us to see the difference between it and a good batch.

Deb and I dyed our batch pink. (Valentine's Day was coming up...)

We used Elephant Heart Plum in some of the macarons, and a buttercream mixed with a small amount of ground Tonka Beans (which I'll be searching for in Paris this summer). 

Our macs cooling. Relieved that they have feet and there are no cracks! And the final filled macarons, ready to eat in 24 hours.

I highly recommend Pim's macaron class. She is thorough in her teaching and her fun personality made the class enjoyable. When it was time for us to get our hands in almond flour and egg whites, she was always available, going around each workstation to observe, advise, and encourage us. She personally guided me through (as in she held my wrists!) and helped me overcome my nemesis -- piping. Getting a feel for it, when it's done right, was so important for me. I've been able to make 3 successful batches of macs at home since the class :)

So blood oranges are everywhere on the web and they definitely caught my eye. I had to buy some before the season ended; so today was my third time picking up more of these puppies. Can't get enough of them. 

I made blood orange curd and candied (blood) orange peel, spreading the curd in a batch of orange-colored macarons and on lemon cream scones. 

Have a sweet week.

Back in late January, Deb and I drove down to Soledad to tour the Lemoravo Ranch, operated by Brokaw Nursery, which is headquartered in Ventura. We weren't sure what to expect but Deb had discovered that lemons were grown in the area, so we had to see for ourselves.

At Lemoravo we were graciously given a personal tour of the vast lemon orchard by Kirk Williams, whose father, Jim, is one of the founders of Brokaw Nursery. The orchard itself is an enchanting place, quietly nestled in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains. The views from this elevation are enough to make you want to plant a hammock on the spot and settle down right there. As you walk through the orchard, you can't miss the bounty of the trees, the scent of lemons pervading the cool air. We couldn't believe our luck coming out on such a gorgeous January day.

In addition to 400 acres of lemon trees, Kirk oversees the vineyards and avocado orchard also located on Lemoravo. With each outing, my appreciation for the local agricultural community grows. And this is coming from a beginning of complete ignorance. Truthfully, It wouldn't be possible were it not for Deb's curiosity and enterprising spirit to seek out these growers and producers!

Please check out her point of view, an informative post of Lemoravo and the area that begins with a descriptive passage from a literary great... and local son. 

I'm pretty sure at some point I'll make what Deb ended up baking after being inspired by our trip.

the vineyard where grapes are organically grown for a winery 

the breathtaking view from the foothills

Shortly after the trip and with a small supply of lemons from the orchard in hand, I decided to make something simple... Herby Lemon Biscuits (or cookies, as they are referred in the U.S.; please correct me if I'm wrong), a recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Deb had given me a lovely gift of homemade Herbes de Provence and it proved to be perfect timing; the merging of herbs and fresh lemons was just right for this recipe to happen. If you wish to make your own Herbes de Provence, Deb goes into detail in this post on her blog. The herb mix is great to give away as well as to use in your cooking/baking.

Love the way she adorned the jar.

Herby Lemon Cookies

(makes 40)

from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

225g butter, at room temperature

150 g sugar

1 egg

zest and juice of 1 lemon

280 g flour

2 tablespoons mixed herbs (I used Deb's Herbes de Provence)

200g icing, or confectioner's sugar

thyme flowers, to garnish (optional)

1. in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and creamy. Beat in the egg, lemon zest, and squeeze of lemon juice (set the rest aside for the topping).

2. Add the flour, a pinch of salt, and the herbs. Mix well. Spoon mixture on to wax paper and roll into 2 logs. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until firm.

3. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Slice the logs of dough into 1cm slices and spread the cookies on the baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.

4. Sieve the confectioner's sugar into a bowl and squeeze enough of the remaining lemon juice to make a thick icing. Drizzle icing over the cooled cookies. Garnish with thyme leaves or flowers, if you wish.

Hey guys! I didn't forget about picking the giveaway winner. Out of 13 comments (#1 being the earliest comment, #13 being the latest, and not counting my comments of course) the winner of the 2 prints is the 10th comment -- made by Gina!

I don't have an email for you Gina so please email me at janda03 at gmail dot com so I can put the pumpkin muffin and cookie prints in the mail for ya.

Thanks for participating everyone and I hope you all achieve your culinary goal(s) this year :)