Jack-O-Lantern Cookies

happy halloween!

• Pumpkin Cookies * Martha Stewart

  Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • * jauberry notes- I only used 1 3/4 cups sugar which was a combination of dark and light. You do not need the additional 1/2 cup, sorry Martha. Do not substitute milk for evaporated milk- evaporated milk has toasty delicious flavor which plain milk does not have. For the icing, I made a simple powder sugar based icing and used black gel coloring, or you can mix tons of red, even more tons of blue, and a little of yellow. 

Directions

1. Make cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined. *jauberry note- add eggs one at a time until completely incorporated. 
3. Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Carnival Time!

Friday night was the Wilson School Fall Carnival. The teachers and volunteers who pull it together always impress me with how much they have going on for the kids. They always have two indoor bouncy castles, typical carnival games, a cake walk, karaoke, a candy making science lab, fortune teller, etc. They also have dinner, half of it surprisingly healthy, and all kinds of donated baked goods. Typically it is all Chris and I can do to get Oscar to do anything else but the bouncy castle, but this year he explored other options. We did the cake walk, much to Chris’ chagrin (he thought it was a waste of tickets), and he went “fishing” several times since you always win stickers and temporary tattoos. Oscar saw some friends he has not seen in a long time and had such a great time. Chris and I dressed up as the Black Widow and the Hulk from The Avengers since Oscar is Iron Man this year. I looked forever for a red wig, and it was difficult to find one. I finally found one, but it is way red instead of a natural red color. So I was really dressed up as the Black Widow who got a horrible dye job. Like Tim Gunn says, “Make it work”. 

New Layout

The problem with my beautiful title layout is as Oscar grows, it only takes 9 months or so for the layout to look outdated since Oscar looks different and more grown up. Also we need to add Violet to the jauberry mix. With that in mind....... presenting the new jauberry layout! I love it, I hope you love it as well. 

Like a Good Neighbor........

When I turned sixteen, I got a job; which allowed me to get a driver's license, so I could drive the sweetest car ever- 1987 Buick LaSabre, and I had to get insurance. My parents' insurance was State Farm, so mine would be as well. When I went off to college, State Farm came with me. When I moved to Jackson seven years ago, I went right to the State Farm office to get insurance in Wyoming. All these fourteen years I never even priced out another insurance company. Chris and I finally looked into another insurance company here in town, and they came back with not only better rates, but better coverage, and we do not have to pay a 20% deductible if our house splits during an earthquake. We made the decision to move companies, and it is crazy, but I am slightly apprehensive now about this change. Why is change so difficult even though it can mean better things? Fourteen years is a long time, but let's face it; this is not the biggest decision I ever made.
Oh! Guess what came early to the jauberry house......snow! This is our house this morning, Mother Nature and I need to have a conversation.

Jack-O-Lantern Time

If the wind would have died down, it would have been the perfect weather on Saturday. I really cannot complain because it did not snow or rain, which is much worse than some wind, so at 4:00, we were ready to host our pumpkin carving party.  Our friends and neighbors came with pumpkins in hand to join in the festivities. Around five o'clock, we began carving; there is nothing like twenty adults pulling guts out of a pumpkin, some being squirmish, to begin the party. After the carving, chili was served with cornbread muffins, which was much needed to warm up everyone. Children were having a great time in the leaves, while guys threw the football, and the girls drank hot chocolate + Baileys around the fire. I love fall and all things pumpkin,  it was a wonderful evening of friends, laughter, and jack-o-lanterns. 

Pumpkin Party Decor

We had our 3rd annual pumpkin carving party on Saturday, meaning I was a crazy person all week preparing for the party. Since you never know if it is going to rain/snow the day of the party, it is difficult to go all out with outdoor decorations since you might, at the last minute, have to be in the garage. I had some ideas for the trees, but apparently there is a helium shortage in this country, and I could not find helium. Maybe next year helium will be abundant again and I can have my great tree decorations. Of all the decorations, I love how the bats by the front door turned out. I have the best husband ever; Chris cut out, glued, and hung the bats for me around the front door. I will have another post shortly with photos from the party. 

Hunting We Will Go

I went elk hunting! I actually wore camouflage and hunters orange, and went elk hunting with Chris. It was eventful. We did not get an elk, and had to floor it home to rescue our neighbor from Oscar who was sick, but before all the drama, it was good. Hopefully we will have a chance to go hunting again very soon.  

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

Most of what I see on Pinterest cannot be done by everyone or it is something so lame that a normal person should not re-create it. Most of the photos you see were done by professionals or people who are naturally crafty. There is a reason why there is one Martha Stewart and a bunch of people making lopsided souffles.

Sometimes though I see something that is so genius, and is actually something a normal person on Pinterest could make with easy success. This is one of those pins. I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for my father-in-law, Billy, and Tara', and I had pumpkin left over that I did not use. As I was cruising Pinterest, Kimberly Lowry had pinned "Homemade Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt". I clicked and clicked again to get to the recipe; I read it and before you could say, "Thank God for pumpkins and  fall", I was in the kitchen whipping it up. Verdict: wonderful, so good, and so easy. 

* I did not add the sugar, and it was still sweet.

** Thank you to Kimberly Lowry. 

Homemade Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt, strained

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl until completely combined. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker for a few minutes until it is a smooth, cool consistency. Alternatively, place the bowl in the freezer and stir mixture every half hour until it reaches desired consistency.

Beef Stew a la Jauberry

This is a great beef stew recipe that is perfect for fall or winter weather. The beef is so tender, it is ridiculous. I use 2 cups stock and 1 cup dry red wine for my liquids. The red wine helps to tenderize the meat and helps bring the flavor to the dish. I think this recipe is heavenly with a baguette thinly sliced on the side, but for those of us who cannot eat gluten anymore, rice is also wonderful. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. boneless stewing beef, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs (thyme, marjoram, savory, oregano, and/or basil)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped leeks (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 to 3 cups beef or chicken stock, dry red or white wine or beer
• 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 3 or 4 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

Pat the meat dry and season with 1/2 of the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off any excess.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the meat in batches and brown on all sides, being careful not to crowd the pan or scorch the meat. 

Remove with a slotted spoon. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan (add more if needed).

Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring often, over medium heat until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the bay leaves, remaining dried herbs, salt, pepper, cooked meat and enough stock to cover the meat at least halfway.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat  cover, and simmer over low heat until the meat is fork-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add the chunked carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any fat from the surface. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Garnish with chopped parsley.

Bon Appetit! 

Fall Decor at Maison de Jauberry

I have started our fall decorations, which entails removing all of our flowers and replacing them with pumpkins.  Last year I "blinged out" all our pumpkins, this year I used some remaining gold thumbtacks and red and chocolate paint to add glamour and style to our pumpkins. I am fairly happy with how they turned out, but I am already thinking of next year. 

Violet Margot Jaubert

We have a new family member....... Violet Margot Jaubert! She is the most beautiful, sweet girl in the whole world. She is 1 1/2 years old, Oscar named her after Violet from The Incredibles, and he loves his cat sister very much.  

Violet loves yogurt