susan hayward photography

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

There's a recipe going around my church congregation that uses spice cake mix as the base for this cookie.  I have made it a couple of times and, while it's a good time saver and turns around pretty good, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from scratch come out far tastier.  Remember that pumpkin tart I made earlier last week?  Well, I had to do something with all that leftover pumpkin.  And with these cookies, you can pretend they're healthy with their orange color that makes one think there must be some beta carotene in there somewhere, right?  At least I think that I can see better after eating these!

This recipe comes from Janet Nelson, who published it in Sharing Our Best, a BYU Bookstore Employee Cookbook.  

1c brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 c pumpkin

3/4 c butter

Cream the preceding ingredients together until they look creamy and delectable.  

Next, mix together the following:

2 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix the wet and the dry ingredients, then add your chocolate chips, about 1 cup or so.  Scoop out dollops of the dough onto a GREASED cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (I baked mine at 18 minutes or so, then let them cool a few minutes on the cookies sheet before I transferred them to a cooling rack.  Triple the recipe for a good sized batch.

Bon Appetit!

Friends

At last, the kids put down the wii and went outside yesterday!  Yay!  I have a love/hate relationship with the wii.  I love it when it's a blizzard or a rainstorm outside and the kids don't want to read and there's nothing on tv.  But when the sun shines and the snow has melted enough to see the cement again, why, that's prime outside playtime to me. (Not to mention good cookie-eating weather.  Wait a minute.  It's always good weather for cookie eating.)  Here are some friends who came to play (and eat cookies!)

 

 

Happy Chinese New Year

Yesterday my youngest arrived home breathless and red-cheeked.  "I get to be the head of the dragon in the parade!" he yelled as he ran upstairs.  It doesn't take much to please a first grader.  Chinese New Year is always celebrated with a parade through the school, complete with a dragon, noisemakers, masks, and kites.  Parents and kids lined the hallways armed with cameras and smiles.  Luckily, I got there on time (for once) and found some good spots to shoot pictures of my own kid and some friends.  Happy New Year!  

    

 

 

 

 

How to Make Banana Islands

This week has been crazy!  When I wasn't up at my kids' school, I was on photoshop for hours working on our family picture collage, or reading Dostoevsky.  Ok, the last part was a lie.  I did listen to books on tape while making cookies and homemade rolls (roll recipe rocks.  Will post soon!).  And, oh yeah, I made dinner a few times too.  

First off, we have Paul, demonstrating to his class how to make his own variation of eyeballs, a treat I devised one day when trying to spice up after school snacks.  Paul's variation involves bananas, phyllo tartlets, lots of whipped cream, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and chocolate sauce.  Well, what'd you expect?  Broccoli? 

  

I Heart You

Thanks to Susan for this surprise on my doorstep today.  When the kids came home from school I found this heart and two big chocolate covered pretzels from Chocolate Covered Wagon along with a special note from my special friend.  Thanks, Susan Sudol!  

  

 I love my friends!!

Apple of My Eye

© Susan Hayward Photography

Just messing around with some apples.  I might make a cobbler out of these tonight.  Or I might just juice them.  Or maybe eat them out of hand.  Or maybe just take some more pictures!

Paul and Palmiers

If you love pie crust, you'll love these cookies.  Palmiers are light, flakey and buttery.   I haven't had one in a couple of years.  The last one I had was in London with my hubby from a pastry shop run by Frenchies, or at least English who could fake a French accent really well.  So when I spied these at Gourmandine (?) in downtown Salt Lake City I had to buy one.  And of course I had to take a picture of it.  Now that was tricky, because I live a good half hour away from the place I bought it.  It took all my will power to not eat the darn thing on the way home.  But I knew that it would make a better picture whole rather than in pieces, so I resisted.  Luckily, after pictures, I got to eat most of it, as the kiddoes weren't too sure about the look and the shape of it.  It was every bit as good as that one I had in Europe, if memory serves me right.  The only thing missing was a steaming cup of hot chocolate (a Mormon hot toddy) to dip it in, as it is hard and cruchy rather than soft and gushy like a cinnamon roll.  I have made it a goal to go to this little bistro once a week until I've tried all their treats.  Which, happily, will take me a long time.  Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted!  (pun not intended, but effective nonetheless.  Is that one word?)

   

Snicker Doodles

© Susan B. Hayward Photography

Don't you just love generous neighbors?  My neighbor Janet brought over these delectable cookies.  She's a great baker.  At Christmas, she makes wonderful pecan bars.  Hummm.... that might be my next baking adventure.  Thanks Janet!

REAL Whipped Cream

I grew up on whipped cream from a plastic tub.  Then I discovered how fakey it tasted compared to whipping cream you whip yourself that doesn't have weird chemicals in it that you can't pronounce and shouldn't be in your body.  

    

Here goes:

You take a pint of whipping cream, a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla and whip it until it thickens and becomes looks like the stuff in the tub, only better.  I use my Bosch mixer to whip it.  I've tried by hand but that takes all day long.  And I can't wait that long.  Plus, I don't have the upper body strength.

Pumpkin Pie Tart

© Susan B. Hayward Photography.com

The main reason I wanted to make this tart is to use my tart pan, which I bought to make a grape tart when we had extra grapes from a friend.  It took me an hour to take the skins off the grapes.  Then, when the tart was finally done, nobody liked it except me.  Of course, it didn't occur to me that nobody else was eating it until I took the last piece and realized I had single handedly eaten the whole thing.  By myself.  Ooops.

But we all like this one.  I think traditional pumpkin pie made with organic pumpkin from Whole Foods--it does make a difference-- and whole milk still prevails, but this is a nice twist, what with the cream cheese in it.  I have been listening to Ya-Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells, so forgive me if I drawl in this post.  The narrator's Southern accent is stuck in my head.  

Velvety Pumpkin Tart

For the crust:

1 cup gingersnap crumbs (from 20 snaps.  I ground them in my food processor.  You could also use a blender)

1 T. sugar

3 T. butter, melted

For the fillling:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 c. canned, solid-packed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/4 t. table salt

1 large egg (use a good brand)

1 large egg yolk 

1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

1.  Heat oven to 350.  Get out your 9.5 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

2.  Make the crust:

In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs and sugar.  Stir until well blended.  Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and mix with a fork until evenly moistened and well blended. 

Dump the crumbs in your tart pan.  cover with plastic wrap and mush the crumbs around the bottom and edges of your pan.  The plastic wrap keeps your hands clean.  Remove the plastic wrap when you're done.

Bake the crust until it is slight darker, almost 10 minutes.  Prepare the filling while it bakes.  If the crust is done before you are, take it out of the oven after 10 minutes and put it on a cooling rack.

3.  Reduce the oven temp. to 300.

4.  Make the filling:

Combine cream cheese and sugar.  Beat with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer on medium speed until it looks smooth and creamy.  Add the pumpkin, cinn., nutmeg, salt, and cloves and beat until well blended.  Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.

5.  Dump the filling into your baked crust.  Pop the whole shebang into the oven and bake until the filling barely jiggles when the pan is nudged, about 30-35 minutes.  Tranfer the pand to a rack and let cool completely.  Refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours or so.  (Now, if you're impatient like me and you live in snow country, cool the tart on your deck outside to speed things up.  And if you think you'll die if you don't have a piece of it sooner than three hours, pop it in the freezer for awhile.  Serve with REAL whipped cream (recipe to follow).

•This recipe came from The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge

Baked Dijon and Tomato Eggs

Use Eggland's Best eggs or cage free eggs for this recipe.  Much tastier than the cheaper eggs. 

© Susan B. Hayward Photography

Baked Dijon and Tomato Eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  

One or two eggs perperson

1 tsp mayonnaise per egg

1 tsp dijon mustard per egg

1 large sliced tomato

Salt and pepper to taste

Lighty grease a muffin tin.  Place a tomato slice in the bottom of each cup.  Crack egg on top of the tomato.  Mix mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.  Spoon one teaspoon of mixture on top of the egg.  Place in oven on the top rack and cook until slightly browned and eggs are cooked.

Cook for 5-10 minutes for soft, 10-12 minutes for medium and 15 minutes for well done.  

Note:  Tomato can be replaced with smoked salmon or smoked turkey.

•this recipe is from The Body Knows Cookbook by Carolyn Sutherland.

© Susan B. Hayward Photography

My website address is susanhaywardphotography.com

Our Family Picture

I've been experimenting with this idea of individual portraits arranged in a collage instead of a traditional group picture.  Still working on it.  When it's done, I'll have a party!

Sudol Family Collage

Isn't this a cute family? 

12 Years

Ok, so this is not a client photograph.  It's my kiddo's photograph.  I can't believe he's already twelve.  He looks downright dapper in his new Sunday suit.  The girls will start calling soon, I suppose.  Can't decide which one I'd like on the wall.  What do you think?  I need help!  

 

               

Collards Are Green (but this one's black and white)

The other day I was at Wild Oats (er, it's something else now I guess--Whole Foods?) and discovered the biggest collard greens I have ever seen.  We're talking Texas huge here.   Ginormous.  Big as those leaves you see people in movies fanning royalty with.  So instead of eating them, I photographed them!

Brother Can You Spare A Dime?

A family in the neighborhood my husband and kids helped move gave my youngest this guitar.  I found him outside doing this:

Busking for money!  Note the cup in front of him, his change box.  I guess I need to up his allowance.

I Pledge Allegiance

You know how exciting it can be when you think that your mom is coming to school to see you say the Pledge of Allegiance in the school intercom microphone, something that you're kind of nervous to do, and then she gets there too late and you think she's the crummiest mom in the world, when just the week before you thought she was the greatest mom in the world because she bought you Pokemon cards that are all the rage in first grade?  And she comes right after you do your thing, I mean like minutes after you've gone back to your classroom, and your teacher, who you're starting to like better than your mom most of the time because she never says, "Pick up your socks!" twenty times a day, says, "Did she come?" and you have to mumble an answer.  "Nope."  And all your teacher can say is, "Oh," and rub your back and then give you a hug.  

Then your mom throws open the door to the classroom and says, so loudly that the kindergarten classroom can hear too, "I AM SO SORRY!"  She hugs you, squishing you so tight you can hear the steady thrum of her heart beating, and says "Sorry!" over and over until you pull away and say, "I hate your stretching video."  You know why she's late.  You saw her doing stretches in front of the tv when you left for school.  But you thought she'd come for this, your fifteen seconds of fame.  Your teacher suggests you say the pledge in the classroom, and when that doesn't seem like enough, she says, "Why don't you go to the office and show your mom what you did this morning for the whole school?"  So you take your mom's hand and walk to the office, explain to the ladies what you want to do and you pretend to speak into the microphone.  You are smiling now, because secretly, speaking into a microphone is about the coolest thing you can think of to do.  That's why you forgive your mom.  You read your special thought for the day, which you wanted to be:  Don't throw yellow snowballs, but which your parents convinced you to change to something about fixing mistakes.  And you say the pledge for the third time that morning.  Only this time, you have an audience of one:  your mom.  Who should have been there five minutes earlier.  But wasn't.  But even if she came late, she did come.  So you hug her when she leaves.  And then you say, "Do you have to do your stupid stretches EVERY day?"

Pear Shaped

Treats!!

Thank you Taylor Berhow and Angie Battaglia for bringing me treats last week!  I was just going to have one bite.  But you know how that goes…

Taylor brought me this adorable cupcake.  She tiptoed through the snow and left it on my doorstep.  It was by far the best carrot cake I have ever had.  Carrot cake isn't usually my favorite.  But this one rocked.  And it was almost too cute to eat.  But I believe in food over fashion. 

 

Angie brought me this little bundt cake.  Yummy!!

Wonder Cat

I am a cat person.  Always have been.  Sure, I've had dogs before.  Two yappy, jumpy critters that ate my laundry hanging on the line and tried to mate with my leg.  Recently I tried to have a dog again.  Things seemed to be going well until the dog bit me.  And then she ate her poop.  "Ewww," I said, drawing back from her.  "That's just unnatural."  No way did I want a doggy kiss from this dog.  

But I've had many good cats.  And I think it's an excellent idea to always have a cat in your life to remind you how satisfying it can be to stay in bed all day.  

I tried to convince my grandmother of this.  She is, sadly, a dog person.  Recently I tried to convert her, but she won't budge. Listen to this letter:

 

Dear Grandma,

 

I’m writing to convince you to get a cat for a pet.  Here’s why:

 

1. Cats are usually smaller than dogs, save your garden variety of Chihuahua or toy poodle or what have you.  This makes it convenient to carry them in your purse or back pack, or a laundry basket.

 

2. Their poop is smaller.  Sorry, there was no way to put that nicely.  While I must admit I’m not the best at emptying the cat box every day, it’s not that big of a deal.  Sometimes my cat will go outside—I’m not sure where.  I’m taking the same stance I took when I lived in the Ukraine with former Soviet Cockroaches:  as long as I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.

 

 

3. They have attitude.  Cats will walk around like they own the place, sauntering through the halls like a princess on parade.  My cat Sadie will run when you call her home for the evening—up until the last few steps when she slows to a stroll with a swing to her hips that says, “Hey, I don’t have to come if I don’t want to.”  And she actually gets mad at us sometimes, unlike dogs who seem to have no self-confidence or self-respect.  Dogs will be your friend forever, even if your name is Wild Billy and your favorite game is Kick the Canine.  But not cats.  Cross a cat and you’re liable to get the cold shoulder until hell freezes over—or until you produce some fancy squishy cat food from a can.  A cat will love you when they feel like it.  Hum…maybe I like cats so much because they share many personality traits with me.    

 

4. If you want to go somewhere for the weekend, you just leave extra food.  I really like this one.  My sister-in-law has to take her dog to someone’s house for dog sitting whenever they leave town.  If they left him home inside, he would chew through all of their furniture and leave messes all over the place.  If they left him outside, he would probably chew through the fence or bark all night and day, or most likely both.  But with cats, all you do is load up a big bowl with kitty kibble, fill another bowl with water (or just leave the toilet seat up, which I think is yucky, but as I live will all boys, others think is quite handy), make sure the cat box is clean and accessible, and off you go.  When you come home, there might be a few hours of kitty cold shoulder treatment.  However, I’ve found that Sadie is actually glad to see us, so the cold shoulder is just a quick formality lest we forget that she is in charge.   

 

5. Cats are a lot of company.  Admittedly, some cats aren’t much company, always skittering off if you so much as hold your hand out to pet them.  But there are some (like mine)  who will follow you around the house like a toddler.  Granted, that includes following you to the bathroom, but sometimes the bathroom is tedious and boring, so the company isn’t always a bad thing.  Another good thing about this argument, which admittedly applies to dogs as well, is that cats don’t talk back.  You can talk to a cat about anything and not worry that she’s going to tell the whole family.  And, if you complain to a cat too long, she’ll let you know when you’ve crossed the line from pity to pathetic with a big long yawn. 

 

6. Cat tongues don’t hang out and drip on you.  My other sister-in-law has a dog with a tongue so long and floppy and soaking wet that we all draw ourselves in when he walks by.  Otherwise, we might end up with a big drop of dog drool on a favorite shoe, or worse, a naked foot.  While Sadie did drool a tiny bit on me once, it was only a drop and I think she had the sniffles at the time.   

 

7. If they jump on your lap, it’s not painful.  Cats just weigh less than dogs, especially if you get a petite girl like my kitty.  There’s nothing better than a rainy day, a good book, a cat curled up on your lap, and a cup of hot cocoa.  The rain allows you stay inside, the book transports you to another place, the cat makes you feel loved, and the hot cocoa bathes the scene in a bit of sweetness.  I’m hoping this is what heaven will be like.   

 

8. In a pinch, cats are good scarves and blankets in the winter.  My cat sleeps with me for part of the night.  She starts out with Paul, then moves to Calvin, and finally ends up with me for the last few hours before twilight.  For some reason, she likes to plant herself on my neck and cuddle there.  She warms me right up.  Rick thinks it’s ridiculous, but I’ve caught her on his side of the bed more than once and he didn’t seem to mind.  Sadie will also sometimes sit on my lap while I’m working on the computer, warming my legs. 

 

9. Cats don’t need to go on walks.  Cats are so low-maintenance, they don’t even require a human to exercise them.  Isn’t that great?  Of course, if you like walking your pet, some cats will walk with you.  Sadie is known in our neighborhood for her habit of trailing behind when we go on family walks.  Just take it from me, don’t ever try to put a leash on a cat.   

 

10. Cats bathe themselves.  I wish my Jake would do that!  Maybe I should train Sadie to lick those in my household who refuse to take baths. 

 

11. Cats are relaxing.  If you like peace and quiet, a cat’s your kind of pet.  They don’t yap like tiny dogs tend to.  A meow--even a loud one--is in no way as annoying as a yappy dog.  Calvin has been begging for a dog for over a year, but let’s be honest, I’m just not up to the task.  The barking, the dirty paws, the chewing on furniture, not to mention the poop issue.  Plus, the kids tear through the house so much that adding a dog to the mix would just make our place more chaotic, which is the last thing I need.

 

12. Cats make a house a home.  I just had to add this because I was thinking about the other day when I came home from picking up the boys from school.  Sadie had been sitting on the front porch all folded up like a suitcase, her paws tucked neatly under herself, when she perked up and ran down the steps to greet us.  No matter where we go, we know that someone is waiting for us to come home.  She meows hello as we get out of the car and weaves through our legs as she purrs her love.  It’s magical.    

 

red raspberry chocolate cake

I hate to cook, but I love to bake.  Up to a point.  By the time something comes out of the oven, about all I want to do is eat it.  I can handle pouring a glaze or perhaps slapping on some frosting, but only if it takes five minutes or less.

So when my son asked me for red raspberry chocolate cake for his birthday, I almost broke down and offered to buy one of those cheater cakes at the grocery store instead (you know, with the fakey tasting, garishly colored frosting, usually involving some Disney characters on top).  But I have raised my kids to discern the difference between home made and box cakes and real (as in made with butter) versus fake (as in made with shortening) frosting.  We are sugar afficionados at this house, even if I can't spell it.  

"Oh, all right," I said, digging through my recipes as my son smiled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.  My husband, who had just requested the same cake the month before, warned the kids to stay out of my way when it came time to actually bake the thing.  

"Wouldn't you rather have my chocolate sheet cake instead?" I asked my son, hoping that he would settle for something easier.  

He thought for one millisecond.  "Nope."

I will post this recipe so you understand what a beast this can be.  And how absolutely worth the two days it will take you to make it.  It is just like the cliche:  sinfully delicious.

  

Sinfully Delicious Red Raspberry Chocolate Cake

Listen up!  This recipe is my version of a cake featured in Paris Sweets, a cookbook written by an American food writer who lives in Paris (lucky duck).  I make it much sweeter than the original.  Also, the cake recipe comes from Mary Ellen Maxwell who submitted it to a BYU Bookstore cookbook (1998).

TAKE NOTE:  THIS CAKE TAKES TWO DAYS TO MAKE.  PLAN AHEAD!!!

Cake recipe:

2c flour

2 sticks butter

5 T cocoa

2 eggs, slightly beaten (Eggland's Best or cage free eggs are the best) (yes, you can taste a difference)

1 tsp baking soda

2c sugar

1c water

1/2 c buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla (best quality)

Combine the flour and sugar in a heatproof bowl.  In a saucepan, bring to boil 2 sticks butter, water and cocoa.  Pour this over the flour and sugar mixture.  Add buttermilk, eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla and baking soda.  

Butter a 9-inch springform pan, dust with flour, shake out the excess, and put the pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  (I also cut a circle of parchment for the bottom of the pan, butter it and flour that too.  The cake comes out of the pan easier that way)

Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  You can double the cake batter to make a taller cake if you want.  But it will take longer to cook.

Once the cake is done baking, put it on a cooling rack and after 10 minutes remove the sides of the pan.  Invert the cake onto another rack, lift off the pan bottom, then turn the cake over onto the first rack.  cook the cake right side up on the rack.

The rest of the recipe will come later.  I have a brain cramp right now!