Carrot Cookies

Took a chance (as per my usual unashamed experimenting on guests), and made carrot cookies this morning for my first play date with a new friend (for the record, I would play with my friends if any of them showed any interest, but mostly "play date" means that our children played together).  Not sure if Sam was just being nice when she said they were good, since this was our first "date", but her kids ate a couple each and Luke ate a couple and I ate (!) five (but are we really surprised, or just saying we are to retain our dignity...and am I using the royal plural to avoid admitting that it's ME, only I, who ate 5 cookies?).  Yes.  Ahem.  They were quite good.  The recipe is from Simply in  Season, the carrots are from my garden, the orange was sitting on my counter for at least a week already (poor lonely soul), the vanilla was the last in my cupboard and needs to go on the grocery list, and the appetite for sweets was born in me.

Here is the recipe:

1 C butter (softened)
3/4 C sugar
beat together with electric mixer in medium bowl

1 1/2 C raw carrot (shredded)
1 egg (beaten)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
add and mix well.

2 C flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
sift together into bowl and stir together. Drop by teaspoons on ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in preheated oven at 375F for 10 min.

The recipe says "Optional Frosting" but I say "Necessary and Delicious Frosting":
Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and the grated rind of 1 orange with enough orange juice to obtain spreading consistency (was the juice from half of my zested orange).  Spread on the cookies right away because if you leave this in the bowl it will turn icky and hard, but on the cookies it turns into a nice glaze-ish sort of frosting.

YUM!

What it takes

Making salsa:

Picked tomatoes

Brought up jars from the basement

Started a load of laundry

Filled up Luke's swimming pool

(Luke watered the "quilted flowers")

Washed tomatoes

Doused tomatoes in boiling water

Peeled tomatoes

Fed Seamus

Crushed tomatoes

Chopped Peppers

Chopped Onions

Chopped Garlic

Chopped Jalapenos

(Luke says Halloween-yos)
Thanked God for my food processor
Photographed the mess

Added spices

Added salt and sugar

Fed Seamus

Boiled lids

Made chocolate chip cookies from frozen dough

Heated jars

Began cooking salsa

Realized it was lunch time

Warmed up leftover pizza

Lay on the couch for five minutes

Ate leftover pizza

Cleaned up lunch dishes

Read Luke a story

Ate one cookie

Put Luke down for a nap

Ate five chocolate chip cookies

Cut a vinegar container into a funnel

Poured all my morning's work into

5 1/2 jars

Stared at jars disappointedly

Only 5?

Piled dirty dishes in a tidy looking stack in the sink

Stared at jars chagrined. 

Huge shrug.

photos at last

on the way home from the airport Luke tries on Grampa's assortment of hats.

the last rescued veggies were made into the most delicious turkey pot pie.  um - yum!

Like mother, like son.  When a mother goes around half-dressed and doesn't bother to do her hair, what can you expect from her precocious two-year old?

what are they making?  now that's a silly question.

Grampa and Luke go for walks to the park.

race cars need somewhere to crash...playdough!

sorry for the crazy eyes.  just had to wait too long for somebody to take the picture.

oh but you should see it.  it's a thing of beauty.  all cleaned up.  yucky old stuff that I never harvested tossed away - never to be seen or heard from again!  and tomorrow's task:  buy and plant the perfect apple tree (requirements: hardy, good for pies AND juice/cider, and preferably something that will grow several feet per year - we're in a hurry for apples).  All of this thanks to my Dad who claims, "I know nothing about gardening!...in Manitoba."