Purim- here we come

Before I begin this post I must give some background. We are approaching the holiday of Purim, the day when Jews dress up in costumes, eat a beautiful meal, and give each other gifts: portions of food.

So I have been working on these portions- and here is what I've got. In each package, I will be putting a small bottle of wine. I will make a simple fruit salad with pineapple, oranges, grapes, and cantaloupe, and put that in a nice plastic box. And now for the exciting part... I bought beautiful purple 'paper' and white/silver ribbon. I have baked an assortment of cookies to put in this, and can't wait to put up pictures...

But the interesting part is the cookie bag.

Cookie #1: chocolate almond cookies. This cookie is soft, and stays moist for a while. First I beat eggs and added them to melted chocolate. I added sugar and oil and after that was all mixed, I added the ground almonds. I cooked it until it seemed ready and took it out of the over, cut it right away, and put it aside.

Cookie #2: peanut butter truffle cookies. Now this one is UNBELIEVABLE! Really incredible. I could not believe my mouth when the cookie melted in my mouth and the creamy taste filled my entire self. And its so easy! Just mix peanut-butter, firmly packed brown sugar, an egg, and baking soda together, well. Add chocolate chips, make them into small balls, put them in the oven for nine minutes, and you have yourself some serious peanut butter dessert!

and now. Cookie #3: this was a new recipe. I was ecstatic with the result. Mix together sugar, an egg, softened butter, and vanilla. Then take gluten-free flour and mix that in by the 1/2 cup until you feel the dough is hard enough to roll into balls without sticking to your hand or bowl. When you make the balls, make a small hole in each with your finger. Add strawberry jam (or whichever jam floats your boat) into the hole, and bake for fifteen minutes. I love when new recipes come out tasting delicious.

So that's how I spent my afternoon.

I love making an assortment of cookies, especially ones that are so different: chocolate, peanut butter, and jelly cookies. And so much of it is about the presentation of the food. If it looks good and smells good, and is presented is an appealing way, most people can't help but try!

I think this is a good start for my dessert season. I love to cook, but baking is something you enjoy immediately, when the cookie or cake comes out of the over. Meat or chicken you can't just wolf down without anyone noticing, that's hard to do inconspicuously.

In case you were wondering, I do not put the quantities of the ingredients of my recipes for two reasons. First of all, this blog is mostly about enjoying food. It's not a cookbook, it's a blog by a young girl who loves food and loves playing around in the kitchen. Second of all, I am giving you the ingredients (whoever you are) just to inspire an idea. I believe a real cook will take a recipe that seems somewhat interesting, and use it as a springboard. So you mess up the first few times... SO WHAT?! That's what cooking is all about. A tip? Start with small quantities.

As always, please enjoy what you put in your mouth- it's the most important part. Take a minute, close your eyes, and appreciate the effort you put in, and the incredible taste of heaven on your pallet.