September 11, 2011

Golden Biscuits and other treats


My husband, zack, is getting his master's in film. Because of my fondness of food, I offered to help with his final film project by doing the small amount of food styling required. There are many who are much more qualified than I am and lots of it I probably wouldn't have eaten myself, but I was kind of happy with the way these looked. The idea is it's a man who's grandmother has passed away that he's lived with most of his life. These are some of the treats he has "been given" by neighbours, etc. that he eats with his grandmother's former caretaker in the back garden. I made the cookies myself and they're delicious.

Here's the recipe courtesy of my sister Melissa's mother-in-law, Ruth Arnst:

Golden biscuits

-4 ozs butter
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 tablespoon golden syrup (this is a british ingredient that is easily found here in Wales or in Aussie where Ruth is from. Look around for it- I've heard some places in the states have it. It's a thicker syrup with a buttery sweet taste that makes these biscuits great, though I've heard 2 parts light corn syrup and 1 part molasses can work as a substitute- haven't tried it)
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put these ingredients in a saucepan and melt together. Cook a minute or two. Remove from heat and let cool a little.

Add 1 cup of flour- then possibly another 1/2 cup. (I need to add another 1/2 c here in wales, but if you're somewhere dry you may not need as much.) Needs to be a firm mixture to roll dough into balls and then flatten with a fork- much like peanut butter cookies.

Bake 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you like them, at 350 degrees F. I like mine very soft, so i wait til they're just golden on the edges- about 10 minutes in my oven. Enjoy!

Why Peas With Honey?

I eat my peas with honey,
I've done it all my life.
It makes the peas taste funny,
but it keeps them on my knife.

This rhyme became part of our dinner conversation just about every time we ate peas with dinner while I was little. I'm not sure where my dad first heard it, but he definitely made it a little part of my childhood. I still think of it from time to time and laugh inside- not necessarily because the rhyme itself is funny, but because of the memories it brings. From the time when I did actually think it was funny, to my siblings and I groaning and rolling our eyes whilst my dad recited it again for the millionth time. Memories are a big thing with me- I'm a very nostalgic person, and when I first had this idea for the blog's title, it won Gaby over completely. I think we're both sentimentalists at heart. So here's to Peas With Honey!