Monkey Gland

I have been busy lately with dog and house sitting. It's a nice job but doesn't let me spend a lot of time at my own place. When I finally had a some time off the weather was crap. So, Cocktail Time! The problem with making cocktails is large number of different liquors and mixers and such that is needed. I am slowly adding to my bar with each cocktail but I am discovering that some of the simplest are some of the most delicious.

A quick flip through The Savoy Cocktail book found this interesting one. It is named after the experiments of the 1920's where Serge Voronoff grafted monkey testicle tissue onto human testicles for ... therapeutic purposes... It did not work. But it did give us a cocktail!

The recipe from The Savoy Cocktail Book is not very exact. Yeah...

This version is from a wonderful book my boyfriend got me for the Holidays about Paris in the 1920's. It is older than the Savoy version and is a lot lighter on the absinthe and grenadine.

 I may or may not have used this as an excuse to buy absinthe.

Here is the older, original cocktail. My cute salt and pepper couple mirror my reaction.

The Savoy version was a bit better but their smiles are way too big.

All in all not a good cocktail. I have discovered that I am not a fan of absinthe. If you are a fan of licorice tasting liquor then you might want to give this a try. Start with the older, lighter version and add dashes as you want.

My Rating: Not good. Not therapeutic!

Three Layer Cookie

During the Holidays I like to makes dozens and dozens of cookies for friends and co-workers. It's my gift for everyone. I set them out and then have to listen to everyone complain about their weight as they are stuffing their faces. That's why I make the cookies small, people! Don't blame me for your lack of control. But do tell me which one was your favorite... Ha Ha Ha I actually think that complaining about your weight has become a part of polite society. It reminds me of when you tell someone they didn't need to get you a gift even though you really (really) wanted one. Pretending they don't want goodies...whatever. Just take a plateful! Planet Fitness is open 24 hours.

I got a little tired after baking 10 different cookies so I had to try something a little different. Technically these are listed as cookies but they are bars. Wisconsin Power and Light Company providing another great cooking pamphlet, Festive Traditions 1969!

The only thing I didn't have was the orange juice. This looks like a great recipe looked a little time consuming since it has to cool between all the layers. Looks like a great day to wrap presents!

 I tried to separate ingredients by layers but my kitchen is too small!

 The first layer was very powdery. Not feeling really confidant about this...

 I had to increase the baking time time but it eventually browned up nicely! Now to wrap presents and wait for it to cool.

What a delicious group of ingredients! Nothing bad can come of this.

Looks like pecan pie going in...

 ...Smells like pecan pie coming out! I was concerned about the 'soft' corners on the left but we are going to hope for the best. And more presents while cooling.

The top layer is basically an icing. It was very thin going on so I stuck it in the fridge to harden. Worked like a charm! My sweetie came over for dinner so these became the dessert and I may have forgotten to get a picture before we dug in. Oops.

These are sooooo sweet! It's hard to tell but I cut these into tiny little bars, maybe an inch long.

Lovely layers! Can you feel the sugar?!

These were fantastic! and super sweet! The bottom layer was similar to a sugar cookie, the middle was like pecan pie, and the top layer was icing. I wasn't certain how the combination of flavors would fit together. But pecans, coconut, oj, and walnuts work well together! Neat.
Depending on your oven, you may have to adjust the baking time for the bottom layer. I am still learning how to use a gas oven. I would also recommend adjusting the top layer for a thicker icing. After being cooled the top layer stayed together nicely and softened up perfectly after sitting out for a few minutes. Soft but not runny.

My Rating: Wonderful! Will make again.

Friends and Family Rating: "Sweet. Different. But delicious." "Tastes almost like pecan pie!"

Gandy Cocktail

I filled my house with wine and cider in preparation for Hurricane Florence and then it decided to not travel all the way up to Virginia. Not that I'm complaining! But I was so ready for a storm or, at least, heavy rain. Instead we got extreme humidity and a breeze. Okay. It gave me time to wander through recipes. This interesting cocktail from Here's How! by Stouffer's seems to have a little bit of lots of things. I prefer simple cocktails but somehow had all the ingredients for this.

 This is very different from the Gandy Dancer Cocktail!

Lots of a little bit...

 Why does everything I make come out green or bright pink?!

It was a bright, interesting drink. It doesn't make a lot so I would probably either double the recipe or serve it in a smaller glass. All in all a nice light citrusy drink.

My Rating: Not bad. I would make again if I had everything on hand.