Adventures in New Paltz, New York

Slowly, but surely, I am creating favorite places in and around New Jersey, and New Paltz, New York, is one those favorites. It all started with a trip to Minnewaska State Park shortly after moving here. We took a hike to the lake, swam, and finished with a harrowing mountain biking adventure back down that was only harrowing to me. That excursion ended with a meal at the fantastic Turkish restaurant in the little city of New Paltz. Nowadays when Alex and I go, we start with a hike/run -- I hike up, he runs up a different route, and of course I try to beat him to the top.

Morning Glory Muffins

Good morning, folks. Today, I will be hiking through Minnewaska State Park, fueled by morning glory muffins. I had this recipe on my mind all week and eventually got around to baking them yesterday morning. My mom would often make a similar muffin with shredded carrots, apples, and ground flax seed, only I forgot to ask her for the recipe. Until I get it, I settled on a recipe for the original morning glory muffins, found from Earthbound Farm. I dig the tropical inclusion of pineapple and coconut paired with spicy cinnamon. I wish I realized beforehand I didn't have enough pecans, because a crunchier bite would have made the muffins even better.

Truth be told, the reason I put it off is because I loathe grating cups and cups of veggies/fruit. Procrastination at its finest!

My biggest pet peeve about muffins are squatty, hockey puck things, usually resulting from underfilled cups. When the recipe says to "fill to the brim", you best be filling those cups to the brim. Mine were filled just under the brim because I can't read real well.

You should make these muffins. Alex, who isn't a muffin man, enjoyed two of them. My writing club group did, too. From this batch, I got twenty-two muffins -- enough for eating now, and some left over to freeze for later.

I insist you start your morning off right by getting up immediately and baking these glorious muffins. They'll come in handy for fueling your weekend adventures. I'll see you when I get back from my hike!

The Great Food Blog Cookie Swap 2014

Since the end of The Great Food Blog Cookie Swap in 2013, I've looked forward to the event all year! What better way to get in the spirit of the season than by baking cookies for your fellow food bloggers? With sponsors like Oxo and Dixie Sugar matching up to $3000 in donations for Cookies for Kids' Cancer, we're also baking for more than just ourselves. Many thanks to Love & Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen for continuing to host this event.

They also threw in a few treats for us, as well! The Oxo decorating kit looks especially awesome, and I can't wait to try it out.

This year, I went with a recipe I've made before, but have never blogged about. It's a shortbread type of cookie flavored with orange zest and toasted pecans that isn't too sweet or crumbly, and would hold up well during shipping. The dough comes together easily and isn't difficult to roll and cut out. If you've ever heard of the Archway Christmas Nougat cookie, that's what these are like, only this recipe is called 'Christmas Angel Cookies'.

Last year, I didn't do too well with the packaging. I made up for it by purchasing these cute Christmas tins from the dollar store, lining the interiors with decorative paper purchased from the craft store.

I sent these out to Jennifer from Honey and Birch, Sheryl from Lady Behind the Curtain, and Melissa from The Baked Equation. I heard back from two of them and they both enjoyed the cookies!

I received Butter Almond Cookies from What Micky Eats, which were incredibly good and had an amazing texture. My other cookie elf was Becky from The Cookie Rookie, who sent Mint Chocolate Brussels Cookies that reminded me of milano cookies, only better.

If you're interested in participating next year, subscribe to receive notifications.

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Print this recipe

Christmas Angel Cookies
While I was unable to locate the source where I originally found the recipe, I was able to find a copy of it here

Ingredients -

1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 cups roasted pecans, finely chopped

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (300°F for convection ovens).
2. In an electric mixer, cream the shortening, powdered sugar, and orange zest for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides from time to time. Add the salt and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Using the mixer’s paddle attachment, mix in the chopped pecans. Add the flour, and mix just until it is thoroughly combined with the other ingredients.
3. On a well-floured surface, with a well-floured rolling pin, roll out the dough 1/4” thick. Using a 1 1/2” round cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place 1/2” apart on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 minutes, being careful not to let the cookies brown (they should still be white when you remove them from the oven). Transfer to racks and let the cookies cool completely. Store Christmas Nougat Cookies in an airtight container.