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holiday baking: aachener printen

12/22/2014

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Aachener Printen man waiting to be baked.
Printen man pre-baking
There is always a lot of holiday baking in my house and one of our favorite recipes is Aachener Printen, a cookie of similar taste and consistency to gingerbread that hails from Aachen, Germany, which is near the border where Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands meet. Printen comes in several forms, varying from simple rectangular cookies topped with an almond to intricately detailed shapes that are literally printed with a design.
Aachener Printen fresh out of the oven.
Printen people and Printen squares fresh out of the oven
The wooden Printen molds that my family uses are of a Flemish man and woman. They were hand-crafted by a former coal miner in the town of Jülich (which is about 30 miles northeast of Aachen) who took up wood carving in his retirement. These wooden molds not only create gorgeous cookies, but they also are works of art in their own right. Ours hang year round on a wall in the kitchen.

Printen is delicious and like the best of holiday cookies, when it is baking, it creates an absolutely amazing smell throughout the house. Although it is unlikely that many of you have Printen molds (or would even easily be able to acquire one), you can still enjoy the cookie. Instead of using the wooden molds to cut and print the dough, you can simply roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick and cut it into rectangles and top it with blanched almonds. These will be a great addition to your holiday cookie spread, whether for personal consumption, to give away, or to serve at a party.
Aachener Printen mold - Flemish woman
Aachener Printen mold - Flemish man
Aachener Printen recipe
Aachener Printen Rectangles

In a small saucepan, combine: 
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 2/3 cup honey
Heat on low until the ingredients dissolve, stirring frequently.

In a mixing bowl, sift together:
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp. coriander
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 1/2 cups flour

In a small bowl, combine a couple tablespoons of flour with:
  • 1/4 cup diced citron
Make sure each piece of citron is lightly dusted with flour to prevent the pieces from sticking together.

Pour the honey mixture into the flour mixture and knead until the dough is in a smooth ball. To make the kneading process easier, you can split the dough into several pieces. Wrap the dough in wax paper and let cool in the fridge for an hour or so.

On the counter, lightly sprinkle:
  • rock sugar
Place the dough on top of the sugar and roll it out to ~1/4 inch thick using a rolling pin. Cut the dough into rectangular pieces and arrange on a greased cookie sheet. 

In a small bowl, combine:
  • warm water
  • powdered sugar
The mixture should be the color of cloudy water. Lightly brush the sugar water on the top of each cookie.

Garnish each cookie with a:
  • blanched almond
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. They can be eaten plain or, for a sweeter treat, dipped in chocolate or topped with a glaze made from powdered sugar and lemon juice.
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ad analysis: mac & cheese vs. conversation

12/19/2014

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And now for something a little bit different...For awhile I have been wanting to start a new feature on the blog analyzing advertisements, even though it doesn't exactly fit in with the other content on the site. My degree is in Communication Studies so I am always interested to see how advertisers try to reach their intended market, especially since I rarely see an ad that I find appealing. Since I watch all of my television on streaming services, it would seem plausible that the ads I see would be more tailored to my demographic than if I were to watch on cable. However, that does not seem to be the case. One peculiarity of watching online video is that there is less diversity in the advertisements so I may see the same three ads over and over for a week, giving me ample time to fixate on all the little idiosyncrasies that irritate me or (less often) to pinpoint why I am feeling positively towards a certain spot. This is not meant to be a critical analysis, but rather a personal look at how commercials can make us feel. I hope that you will watch the advertisements, read my thoughts, and share your own feelings in the comments. 

I was only able to find the shortened version of this commercial on YouTube, but if you are desperate to see the entire thing, just watch a couple shows on Hulu and I can almost guarantee that it will pop up. The (extended) ad opens up with the teenage daughter, Kim, talking animatedly about how she ran into a boy (who we can assume she had/has a crush on) but that he was with her friend, Jessica. Her parents and younger brother are all sitting down at the dinner table listening to her dissect the run-in and the voiceover lets us know that "this story had 30 minutes left." However, as soon as she takes a bite of the mac & cheese, she stops talking. Her dad prompts her to finish telling the story, but eating the (ostensibly) delicious food has taken precedent and the family is left to enjoy their meal in peace. 
I have a couple issues with this commercial. The first has to do with the purpose of a family dinner. The benefit that comes from gathering together to eat is not merely the consumption of food, but rather the opportunity for family members to share about their day and to discuss is going on in their lives and the world around them. According to an article from July in The Atlantic, "The dinner table can act as a unifier, a place of community. Sharing a meal is an excuse to catch up and talk, one of the few times people are happy to put aside their work and take time out of their day." Isn't that the type of environment that a parent of a teenager would want to create? The world of teenage drama can be difficult to break into and the gossip that Kim is discussing in the ad seems like exactly what her parents would be interested in hearing about. Sure, they don't really care if the boy their daughter has a crush on spilled soda on his shirt, but that open line of communication is too valuable for them to shut down. However, that is exactly what this meal did. Instead of bringing the family together, this mac & cheese separated them into their own worlds where the only thing that is important is how quickly the fork can get from the plate to the mouth. I can't believe that any parent of a teenager would want that to happen.
My second issue is rather petty, but after repeated viewings, it remains a sticking point for me. The names Jessica and Kim feel outdated on a young teenager. Jessica was a Top 2 name from 1981-1997 and then started a steep decline in popularity. It was still ranked 8th in 2000 (which would make the Jessica in this ad 14 years old), but it was definitely on its way out. In 2013, it had gone all the way down to 163 on the Social Security Administration's list of popular baby names. So although there are teenage girls named Jessica wandering around, it is a name that is more strongly associated with women 10-15 years older. The name Kimberly hasn't even reached the Top 10 since 1977. In the year 2000, new babies named Kimberly only made up up 0.1% of all babies born. Once again it is a name that, while not unheard of for the current crop of teenagers, brings to mind someone at least a decade older. 

So why is this a problem? For one thing, it taints the entire commercial as somewhat out of touch with what teenagers today actually are like which then calls into question whether or not they have the credibility to claim that your kids will like this meal. I realize that not everyone is as interested in naming trends as I am, but the parents of any kid has met enough classmates and friends to have a general idea of what names are in and what has become passé. This detail also indicates a lack of thoughtfulness on the part of the company. A quick search would have shown that while Kimberly and Jessica were both Top 100 names in 2000, they are long past their peaks. This might not be a huge deal to the general audience of the ad, but when it is combined with a conversation-ending entree it sets up a dinner that is not representative of either the reality or ideal of today's families.

What do you think about this commercial? Share your reactions in the comments!
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$3 pulled pork & slaw sandwich in under 2 minutes

12/11/2014

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There are some foods I love but that I am never going to attempt to make in my kitchen. I don't have any ability to barbecue meat in my small apartment so I love that Trader Joe's has BBQ pulled pork in the refrigerated section. Even better is that with their semi-prepared items, I can make SIX pulled pork and slaw sandwiches for about the same cost as getting one at a restaurant, although in my kitchen it doesn't come with a side of fries or much ambiance. But it takes less than two minutes to construct so it is perfect when you want a hot meal in a hurry.
Trader Joe's Shopping List:

- Bag of 6 brioche buns: $4.49
- BBQ pulled pork (refrigerated section): $5.99
- Broccoli slaw (with the lettuce mixes): $1.99
- Parmesan ranch dressing (refrigerated section): $3.49
The package of BBQ pork is 1 lb. of meat and the package says that it is only three servings, but I can easily get five or six sandwiches from it. You will also end up with leftovers of the broccoli slaw (which comes in a 1 lb. package) and the salad dressing. However, even if you only use the dressing and slaw for this meal, it still only brings the total per sandwich to $2.66 each.

Heat up the desired amount of pulled pork in the microwave and pop the brioche bun in the toaster. A single serving of meat only takes about a minute to heat through. In a small bowl, combine a handful of broccoli slaw with a spoonful of parmesan ranch salad dressing. Mix until all the slaw is lightly covered. Add the pork and slaw to the toasted bun and you are ready to eat!
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What meals do you have planned this week? Share your recipes in the comments!
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holiday decor: are you sentimental or stylish?

12/10/2014

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Christmas tree 2013
This is the time of year that everyone starts posting photos of their holiday decorations, but in my house we don't start decorating until a couple days before Christmas. In fact, it is not unheard of for us to wait to trim the tree until Christmas Eve. As a result my tree photos are on a year delay. 

Last year my family downsized our tree (we always get a real one) and banished it to the foyer in an effort to minimize everyone's allergic reactions. (Since the living room is only separated from the foyer by a glass door, we could still see the tree while opening presents on Christmas Day.) With the tree in a less prominent position, my mom yielded the decorating decisions to me and my sister who took the tree in a slightly different direction than normal.

We skipped the fancy ornaments and instead decorated solely with our personal favorites, most of which are handmade and somewhat fuzzy. There were sheep with cinnamon stick legs, felt gingerbread girls, a teeny Christmas sweater on an equally tiny metal hanger, and a little rocking horse with a tail made from rabbit fur. These are all beloved items because they were given as gifts and so they hold many memories. In the case of the rocking horse, I loved it so much as a kid that I pet it until most of its tail fell off.
I also like to bring out Christmas books to use both as decoration and for something seasonal to read by the fire. Like the ornaments, the books are a reminder of past holidays. My absolute favorite is The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston and with the incredible illustrations of Barbara Cooney. If you don't already have a copy of it in your house, I highly recommend wrapping a copy and putting it under your tree for the young members of your family.

As I'm sure you've guessed by now, my holiday decorating is definitely more sentimental than stylish.
While my family's holiday decor is never going to get a spread in a magazine, for the few weeks that it is up we are surrounded by memories of love and family. How do you like to decorate for the holidays? Share your favorite ornaments, holiday traditions, or books in the comments!
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