Day #20 Gift > Shortbread Video

Today’s gift to you is a video.  I know you all LOVE the videos.  Well, this one ties in nicely with some previous posts.

Remember when I was at Day #2 of this 29 days of giving thing, that was the day I gave you my recipe for Easy Bar Shortbreads.  I make them every year, only at Christmas time, and they’re easy and very yummy.

Right away, Veggie Club member Suzi tried the recipe, and then she emailed me: “I made your short bread bars for my work Christmas party… and they were a BIG hit.”

On Day #13 I had a preview lesson for the Back-to-Basics class that’s coming up in January.  The little lesson was all about the RIGHT way to measure flour, and there are loads of comments on the blog about that one, thanks!

So today, to tie it all together, I’ve got a video of me making the shortbreads that includes demonstrating the flour measuring part.

I’d be happy if you were to forward this email to anyone you know who might benefit from it, and encourage them to sign up at www.OneRoastVegetable.com to also follow along with the Back-to-Basics lessons (and other great veggie ideas).

Ready to start cooking? Don’t forget to leave a comment below

All best,
Shelley

Day #14 Gift > One of each market item free

Today is the first day that the One Roast Vegetable “Fresh Market” is online and ready for action.

What is “Our Fresh Market”? It’s a market store. A place for cool things to hang out together. Imagine art, and cds, and books, and classes, and cookies, and t-shirts, and memberships, and even free classes. All that kind of stuff. It’s all together now on one page (some of it is still in progress … you’ll see when you swing by).

Yeah I know. OK. What kind of a “gift” is it for you if I open my “market” where clearly I’m going to ask you to part with some of your Christmas money?

Well, here’s my gift. The FIRST person to purchase each item up for sale will have their entire purchase refunded to their credit card. Be the first to buy cookies, and I’ll zip into my credit card company file, and refund you the entire purchase.

Some of the gifts are kinda big, so if you’re the first to buy one of those, yup, you’ll get that refunded too! It’s my way of asking you to part with some of your Christmas money AND giving back at the same time

Ready? The timer starts now.

The Fresh Market is here > http://www.OneRoastVegetable.com/market.html

All best,
Shelley

Day #7 Gift > Cookies

Hi there.  Hope you’re doing well, I’m writing today from a very very cold Montreal, where it is sunny but -28C with the windchill (-18F). Yes, I did run this morning, but only for 20 minutes, which is all my face could stand (the only part of me not completely covered with multiple layers). At least it’s sunny.  At least the snow is packed tight, squeaky, and not slippery.  One must call this a good day.

For day #6, yesterday, my gift was to mix, bake and package up 9 dozen spicy gingersnap cookies for everyone who has purchased one year subscriptions to The Veggie Club in November.  Yesterday was a good day to be inside baking, as it was also freezing cold, and we’d been up late on Saturday night at André’s company Christmas party (which was a gift to A. in itself, if you really want to know the truth, because I did not want to go at all, but I made a large attitude adjustment during the day and got myself psyched up for it, and it turned out fine).

Yesterday, I mixed, A. painted a new canvas, I baked, then he rolled some cookie balls, I packaged, he took over the baking, I printed labels — and we went on like that for about 2 hours straight, but now it’s all done

Today’s gift…

Which naturally leads us to today’s gift.  It would seem like a logical continuation of yesterday’s calm and peaceful baking bliss to EXTEND the same invitation to everyone for December. 

So for everyone who signs up for a one-year subscription to The Veggie Club, I’ll mail you a dozen homemade gingersnaps.  Free.  I bake them, ship them, and they arrive lovely at your front door.  If you’re a current subscriber of TVC on a monthly subscription, you can email me and I’ll update you to a yearly one.  Limit: 9 people (becuase a double batch of cookies makes exactlly nine dozen cookies).  Be one of the next nine to sign up for a one-year subscription, and I’ll get your cookies in the mail to you before Christmas! For new members, sign up here > http://www.OneRoastVegetable.com/02.html

All best,
Shelley

Day #2 Gift > Recipe for Easy Bar Shortbreads

My mom makes really great shortbread cookies. I’ve asked her many times to try to teach me how to make them — when I try to follow her recipe, they turn out burnt or dry. Truly, I can’t get the hang of her method (which she claims is easy), involving a special sugar, rolling out the dough to a specific thickness, cutting with cookie cutters, etc.

Contrast this with my high school boyfriend’s mom. She had a recipe that involved mixing three ingredients and dumping it into a pan, baking, and then cutting into squares while warm.

Now that I can wrap my brain around.

And no kidding, since high school, these have been my yearly Christmas staple, thanks to Daphne Carver. She put granulated sugar on hers, I put green sprinkles on mine.

My gift today …

is to share with you my RECIPE (via Daphne) for Easy Bar Shortbreads:

1 pound butter, softened (2 cups/4 sticks/454 g) (do not use margarine)
1 cup white sugar (200 g)
4 cups regular white flour (spoon+level) (520 g)

non-stick spray for the baking pans, or you can use butter/margarine
for decoration:  green coloured sugar

Preheat oven to 325ºF (160ºC/Gas mark 3). Grease baking pan with no-stick spray, or with a little bit of butter. Unwrap butter and place in mixing bowl. Add sugar and beat until very well mixed, and quite a bit lighter in colour, about 2 minutes.

Add the flour and mix well. The dough should feel quite firm between your fingers, and will look quite a bit like mashed potatoes. Dump the dough out into greased baking pan. Starting from the middle, smooth out with your fingers to evenly cover the pan. Use a fork to poke holes in dough over entire surface.

Bake at 325ºF (160ºC/Gas mark 3) for 40 minutes. You’ll know the cookies are done when they’re a very light golden brown, and the edges are a darker brown. Remove pan from oven, and let cool about 5 minutes. Using a knife, cut into bars while still warm. Sprinkle with coloured sugar.

Remove cookies from pan once cooled to room temperature.  Store in air-tight containers or freeze in zipper bags for up to 6 months.

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All best,
Shelley