Good News: Drop In & Decorate

December 6, 2008 | Filed Under Drop in & Decorate, The Perfect Pantry, Announcements, Fellow Bloggers, Biscuits/Cookies, Baking | 5 Comments

Some news I wanted to share with you:

Lydia of The Perfect Pantry is also the founder of Drop In & Decorate, a special cookie event. I mentioned Drop In & Decorate last year. It started out as a holiday event and has grown bigger. It’s a fun time where you bake cookies and then invite your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers (everyone/anyone) to help decorate the cookies. It’s like a cookie-decorating party. Next, you donate the cookies (to places like a shelter or food pantry, etc…). This is not only a fun event in which to participate, it’s also worthwhile.

Check out Lydia’s site, Drop In & Decorate. You’ll find cookie recipes, photos, tips on how to host a cookie-decorating party, where to donate your cookies and more.

Window Box Herb Gardening

September 15, 2008 | Filed Under The Perfect Pantry, Garden, Parsley, Guest Bloggers, Herbs, Fellow Bloggers | 13 Comments

Please help me welcome this week’s guest blogger, Lydia of The Perfect Pantry. Welcome Lydia and thanks so much for your help!

Paz

Orange Caper Gremolata

While Paz has been recovering from surgery, she’s been dreaming about a garden in her window.

In the city, it’s a challenge to maintain any type of garden. The wind, heat, car exhaust, and even the noise test the resilience of the most hardy plants – and often test the patience of the gardener, too. But if your apartment has a sunny window sill, you can grow some of the same herbs I plant in my garden, indoors in pots, or outside in a window box.

Chives

There are a few secrets to successful window sill gardening. Most important, choose herbs that don’t grow too wide or tall. Don’t overwater if your herbs are growing indoors; on the other hand, herbs growing in a box outside your window need frequent water, to compensate for evaporation from the wind. Most herbs benefit from frequent snipping, but never cut more than one-third of the foliage at a time.

Thyme

Chives, basil, parsley, rosemary and thyme are good choices. They’re easy to grow, and a small amount added to a recipe will have a big flavor impact. Paz can grow her favorite cilantro, too. Don’t forget about mint; invasive by nature, mint can only invade as far as the confines of your window box or flower pot, and no farther. You can try interesting varieties, like chocolate or pineapple mint. Nasturtiums, which you can start from seed, add color to your window garden, and to your salads.

Parsley

In my herb garden, flat-leaf parsley is definitely the star of the show this year. I started with nine plants, purchased from our local organic gardening center, and set in the ground in late May. After a slow first month, the parsley really took off. Now I’m harvesting every day, trying to keep up with the late-season growth spurt.

Paz, I know you’ll enjoy growing herbs (and maybe a few tomatoes and lettuce, too?) on your sunny window sill. Here are two of my favorite recipes for parsley, so be sure to plant some in your “herb garden”.

Orange-caper gremolata
A wonderful topping for salmon or halibut, and great on grilled steak, too. (Shown in the top photo.)

The Perfect Pantry

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (start with a small bunch or handful)
1 clove garlic, minced
The zest of 1 small orange (grated on a fine grater or Microplane)
1/2 tsp capers, drained, roughly chopped
Coarse sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix to yield a rough paste. Can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days in a container with an air-tight lid.

Parsley-walnut pesto
A zestier alternative to basil pesto, this sauce pairs especially well with buckwheat noodles. Makes enough for 6 servings of pasta.

The Perfect Pantry

1 large clove of garlic
1/4 cup walnut pieces
2 cups parsley leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor, chop garlic and walnuts to a fine grind. Add the parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and chop until the parsley is minced. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil, a bit at a time, until desired consistency is reached. (You might not end up using the whole 1/2 cup of oil; it’s up to you.) Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Drop in & Decorate: Cookies for Donation

November 4, 2007 | Filed Under Drop in & Decorate, The Perfect Pantry, Announcements, Fellow Bloggers, Biscuits/Cookies, Baking | 14 Comments

Lydia of The Perfect Pantry has started a wonderful holiday event. It’s called Drop In & Decorate: Cookies for Donation. It’s an easy and fun event. All you do is bake some cookies, invite friends or family (or co-workers or neighbors) to drop by and help decorate. Then donate your cookies to a local food pantry, emergency shelter, senior center, lunch program, or other group serving people in difficult circumstances during the holiday season.

Isn’t that a wonderful idea? I think so. In Lydia’s words, "It’s a wonderful way to give back, to spend time with friends and family without spending gobs of money on gifts, to give the gift of your time and creativity to brighten someone else’s holiday."

Another cool thing about this party is that King Arthur Flour is joining in on the fun and will sell Drop In & Decorate baking kits from now till November 15. If you buy the kit within that time, they will offer a free dough scraper with each order. Add the kit to your shopping cart. On the payment page, enter Promotion Code "Dropin" to the Promotion field and click the Update button. The page will refresh and the dough scraper will be added to your order. Offer valid through November 15 only (but the kit is on sale until December 26, and would make a great holiday gift).

You can read more about Lydia’s event and how to host your own cookie decorating party here at ninecooks.com.

Way to go, Lydia! Way to go!