baby mimi. about three and a half months.

There are nice people in this world. Some of the nicest people, and I know them.

In the weeks before Mimi was born, Wolf and I stocked up on food like crazy. We stuffed the freezer with pizzas and small meals that we could easily heat up and eat in the few moments we expected to be conscious. On the day we brought her home, Wolf made another rapid run to the supermarket and stocked up on yet more food. See, we don’t have family nearby. It’s not like we could just call a mother or an in-law and ask for a little help. We don’t have siblings or cousins nearby, either. On her first night home, as we put Mimi to sleep in her little bassinet next to our bed, I was gripped with loneliness. Or rather, I just felt terribly alone. Here was this tiny, helpless little thing next to me, swaddled in several blankets, her head in the silliest fleece cap, breathing the tiniest, most delicate breath. I was still in a bit of pain from giving birth, and we were both exhausted and excited. We were eager to get on this journey called parenthood. And freaked out, too. And so alone.

Or so we thought.

The next few days and weeks, friends dropped by, sometimes unannounced, with food, extra groceries, offers to do our laundry, and offers to babysit so we could get rest. It was really unbelievable. Each time a friend came over with enough dinner for six, we gasped with delight and incredible gratitude. These are people with their own children and jobs and other obligations. What had we done to deserve this? At one point, we looked at the food on our table in silence. Dropped our heads and just sobbed. We have good friends. We really do.

Then the packets of mail started to arrive from people I’ve yet to meet in person. Sally sent some of the cutest onesies and a very needed blanket. Linda sent me a colorful caterpillar that Mimi loves to play with. And Marilyn, who has taught me so much about blogging, sent the very groovy outfit that Mimi’s wearing in this post’s picture. Lily and Lily both gave me great advice, to sleep while the baby’s sleeping and to take a lot of photos because she’ll grow so quickly. They were right: the only time I can nap is when Mimi is napping. And I feel like I blinked and suddenly she was already four months old. There are others who have sent gifts who I don’t think want to be mentioned. I’m okay with that. But it’s all the same, really. I have good friends.

I started this blog a while back to write less about the actual cookie designs I created than the experiences I had that inspired them. I don’t believe that cookies need to be decorated just for holidays; I think that they can be decorated for any occasion. And the best part is when I give them away and see or hear how they made the recipients happy. That in turn, makes me insanely happy. That’s why, when I can, I write in this space. It’s all about spreading the happiness.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Have a great weekend.

One of my mother’s friends recently sent this musical card to me:

March 3rd – in addition to being my mother’s birthday – is Girls Day in Japan.

Girls Day is usually called “Hina-Matsuri” (hee-na mat-soo-ree), which literally means Dolls Festival in Japanese. Around this time of the year, girls display a set of dolls on a red staircase-like stand. At the top are the Empress and the Emperor, and below are their attendants, musicians, sake bottles and cups, chests, and other props. The dolls are dressed in the elaborate style of the Heian period (794 – 1185), a time when Japanese art was greatly influenced by the worship of Amida Buddha and a period that some historians call Japan’s “golden age” of arts.

Most Japanese families celebrate this day with a nice dinner, sometimes a visit to a local shrine or temple to pray for their daughters’ happiness. The doll display usually goes up in the living room one week before Girls Day and is taken down a few days after. My grandmother told me that well before her time (she was born in 1900), people marked this day by making simple dolls out of paper. They deliberately made the paper dolls simple, even crude-looking because they believed that in the process of making these unattractive figures they transferred their illnesses or problems to the dolls. They then tossed them into the nearest river with the belief that they were casting away the things that ailed them.

I didn’t grow up celebrating this day, probably because it’s my mother’s birthday which my father thought was infinitely more important, and also because we moved around from country to country. Unpacking the dolls, setting them up and taking them down was probably too much trouble. I didn’t really learn about the tradition until I moved to Japan and lived there after college. My aunt invited me over to see her display, then fed me a nice helping of her home cooking. She’d send me home with some cash and traditional sweets called wagashi.

Happy Girls day to all of you girls. Have a good one!

Happy Year of the Tiger

I’m, oh, uh, a wee bit late with this one. But better late than never.

I started this cookie decorating mania eight years ago (!!!) with a cookie to commemorate the Year of the Sheep. Ever since I can remember, my mother has beamed with pride when mentioning the fact that her son, my older brother, was born in the year of the Dragon, and that two of her brothers were dragons, and that she was a perfect match with my late father because he was a Horse and she was a Tiger. For her the Chinese Zodiac is the one to live by, not that monthly stuff that everyone looks to, and it’s also probably the reason she gasped with horror when Wolf and I announced our engagement: he’s a Rooster, I’m a Sheep. Apparently, not an ideal pairing. But here we are, married eight and half years, now with a kid. Born in the year of the Ox. We’re quite a lot, aren’t we?

Normally, I complete my annual Chinese Zodiac animal cookie before celebrations start, but like so much else since giving birth, I’m a bit behind. A bit slower than usual. For a brief moment I contemplated skipping a design for this year, but I just knew that if I did that, I’d find a gazillion excuses to skip it next year and the year after and so on. I made a promise to myself to design all 12 animals, and with this one I mark the eighth, so, four more to go. After which I’ll start another 12-year cycle all over again.

There are many popular myths surrounding the origins of the Chinese Zodiac. I think the most popular version – and the one I was told when I was little – is that Buddha called all animals to join him before he left this world. Only 12 showed up, so to honor those that appeared, he named a lunar year after each in the order it arrived. Mr. Rat was first. He kind of cheated, really. He jumped on the back of Ms. Ox to cross the last river on the journey to Buddha’s, and jumped down in front. Clever little rodent. After Mr. Rat and Ms. Ox (Mimi is an Ox!), Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig joined the party.

Happy Year of the Tiger!

If you’re a tiger, you’re dynamic, competitive, adventurous, confident and the kind of person who gets things done. You’re also candid, sensitive, ambitious, but get bored easily. Tiger people stand up for what they believe in, even when they’re dead wrong. Gee, sounds like my mother. Oh, that’s right. She’s a Tiger.

Tigers are most compatible with Horses and Dogs. But not with Monkeys, Snakes or Boars.

If you’re a Tiger you were born in one of these years:
1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, and 1998.

In my previous tutorial, I showed you how easy it is to make cutout cookies. In this tute, I’ll show you how easy it is to  decorate with royal icing. I’m only covering very basic techniques, though these are the ones I use most often. I’ve also included my icing recipe which is what I’ve been using for years. In subsequent tutorials, I’ll show you some more tricky tricks.

Outline Consistency Icing – with Meringue Powder (for dots, lines, and other small details)

(yields about 1 1/2 cups of icing)

2 Cups confectioners’ sugar

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon meringue powder

3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon room temp. water

Directions: Beat three to five minutes with an electric mixer. I recommend using a metal bowl. If you don’t have one, be sure to use a deep bowl. Scrape the icing out of the bowl with a spatula into an airtight plastic container.

Base Consistency Icing (to make a spreadable base)

Same recipe as above, except use 4 Tablespoons of room temperature water. Beat three to five minutes.

Flow Consistency Icing (for flooding cookies)

Same recipe as above, except use 5 Tablespoons of room temperature water. Beat three to five minutes.

Parchment Cones: Why use them? and how to make one

I use parchment cones because I tend to use very small amounts of icing for my decorated cookies, and, because they allow me the greatest control in piping my designs onto the cookies. Usually I make up to six colors at a time, all in outline consistency, and probably use less than two tablespoons of each color for a dozen cookies.

If I put a base of icing on my cookies first, I either use an offset spatula to spread the icing onto the cookies, or, I put a large amount of base icing into a squeeze bottle and carefully pipe it onto the cookies.

Parchment cones, popsicle mold to hold cones, and squeeze bottle.

To make a parchment cone, please look at this great tutorial on Baking911.com. I’m pointing you in that direction because I didn’t have my photographer husband available to help me this time (he will at some point). Baking911.com is also a great site with tons of information on baking.

Coloring the Icing

I use gel paste color. It’s highly concentrated so you only need to use a drop or two at a time. Unless you plan to make hundreds of cookies, you’ll only need the small bottles (I think they’re about 1.75 fluid ounces each) which are available at most cooking supply stores such as SurlaTable. I buy mine online from SugarCraft – I think they’re hands down the best online retailer for baking goods. Their prices are reasonable and their service rocks. Michaels, the crafts store, sells Wilton brand gel paste colors, which are fine, but they come in little jars instead of these tiny squeeze bottles so things can get messy. If you do use the Wilton jars, use very small spoons or even toothpicks to scoop the gel color out.

Gel paste color is best for coloring royal icing. Use sparingly.

Take a tablespoon of icing, put it into a small bowl, squeeze one or two drops of the gel color paste in and mix. Spoon into your parchment cone, fold the top of the cone and cut the tip off.

Gel paste color, icing in the bowl.

Squeeze a few drops of color into the icing. You don't need much.

Mix the color into the icing with a spoon.

Colored icing. You can add more color if you want...

Put your colored icing into a parchment cone and fold the top to close.

With your parchment cone filled, cut the tip off.

Practice on wax paper first!

Once you put icing on a cookie, you can’t remove it. You can work around your mistakes, which I encourage, but if you have a specific design in mind it’s best to practice it first before committing it to your cookies. I always try everything on a sheet of wax paper first, that way I get a feel for how I need to move my hand as I decorate, and I also get a feel for how much pressure I need to use on the parchment cone. Also, because wax paper is clear, you can put a drawing of your design underneath and trace it to get a strong feel for what you’ll be drawing on your cookies.

Practice by placing your design under a sheet of wax paper.

Piping Dots and Lines

These are the easiest things to do. Keep your hand steady, and squeeze the parchment cone. For dots, you just quickly squeeze and release. Repeat. Dot after dot.

Practice piping dots. Squeeze and release onto wax paper. It's that easy!

For lines, you need to keep pressure on the cone as you draw your lines.

Practice piping lines. Squeeze your cone, and drag the icing across. Release, and voila!

Piping Hearts

Now that you know how to pipe dots, you can pipe hearts. Simply make two dots, and with the tip of the cone, pull the icing down to create a “v” between the dots. And you have a heart.

Pipe two dots next to each other.

Put the tip of your cone in one dot.

Drag the tip of your cone down, at an angle.

Drag the other dot down and form a "v." Lift your cone off the icing.

Now you have a heart. That was easy!

Creating a Base Layer

There are really two ways of creating a base layer: spreading the icing directly onto cookies and flooding the cookies.

To spread the icing, just use an offset spatula to spread base consistency icing onto your cookies. Let them dry for about one hour, or until the icing has hardened and dried enough to put details on with outline consistency icing. (sorry, I forgot to take that photo. I’ll insert it as soon as I can).

To flood cookies – which gives cookies that extra smooth look – you’ll need a cone filled with outline consistency icing and a large cone or a squeeze bottle filled with Flow Consistency icing. First, draw a border around the edge of your cookie with the outline consistency icing. Give it a few minutes to harden. Then fill that space with the flow consistency icing. Pipe one line of flow icing from one edge of the cookie to the other, then back. Each line of icing you pipe must touch the one above it. Yes, this is a time-consuming task and your fingers might cramp a bit, but it will give you the most flawless finish. For things like wedding cookie favors, this is the technique you probably want to use. Let the icing dry, about 1-2 hours, or until the icing feels hard and dry to the touch.

First, draw a border around the edge of your cookie. Use outline consistency icing.

Draw one line of icing from one edge to the other and back, one line on top of the next. Use flow consistency icing.

Eventually you'll fill the area between the border, essentially flooding the cookie with colored icing. Let dry for about an hour.

When you add details and other colors, don’t get frustrated if you make mistakes or your cookies come out differently from what you had envisioned. In the end, you’ll create your own unique and memorable treats. And those lucky enough to receive them will love them!

Final cookie with dots, line, hearts and base icing.

These are the most basic techniques for cookie decorating. Now that you know how, try it. And if you make anything, photograph it and put a link in the comments section below! Cheers!

Late last year, several of my dear readers complained that I didn’t have any simple tutorials here in the cha no ma-ri or at my main site. I vowed to change that this year, and finally, nearly halfway through February, I cobbled together a set of tutes which I hope will enable you to all become master cookie decorators. Seriously, if I can do this, anyone can. And if you don’t want to bake and decorate, point someone who does to this blog. Maybe they’ll make the cookies for you!

Today I’m starting with the foundation: the cookies. Since Valentine’s Day is nigh upon us, I chose heart-shaped cookies, which are simple and even without any icing, say a lot to a recipient. For this demo, I used a Martha Stewart recipe which I think works very well.

Follow the recipe and once you’ve mixed everything together, DON’T chill the dough. DON’T.

Now, follow me:

Step 1. After mixing the dough, don’t chill it. Take one third of that delicious dough and slap it onto a sheet of waxed paper. Cover that blob of dough with another sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Place unchilled dough between layers of wax paper.

Step 2: Get your rolling pin out. Without too much pressure, roll the dough. Front to back, back to front. Use too much pressure and you’ll roll the dough too thinly.

Get your rolling pin out.

Roll cookie cough front to back and again.

Step 3: Rotate your dough – still between layers of wax paper – 90 degrees. Roll again.

Roll cookie dough again, front to back and again.

Step 4: Check the thickness of your dough. Lift the top layer of wax paper and check. It should be about 1/8 of an inch thick, slightly thicker. There are some rolling pins that have bands on them that help you roll out to a specific thickness. If you don’t have one, then quit this tute. Or, just pull out a ruler and hold it up to the dough. That’ll tell you how thick or thin your dough is.

Check the thickness of your rolled dough.

Step 5: Once you’ve rolled the dough to the proper thickness, place it – still between wax paper layers – onto a baking sheet and in your freezer. Yes, your FREEZER. Leave it in there for about 15 minutes.

Now you can preheat the oven.

Place your rolled dough in the freezer.

Step 6: While your dough is freezing and your oven is heating, pull out your cookie cutters and decide which you’re going to use. Hearts are nice and easy. I’ll be using both the smoothed-edge and the zigzag-edge cutters.

Important point: When you bake, you should always have the same or similar-sized cookies on each baking sheet. The bigger the cookie, the longer it will need to stay in the oven. So don’t be a ding-dong and do something stupid like put little cookies on the same sheet as big ones. The little ones will burn or the big ones will come out under-baked, which is not a happy outcome. Not happy at all.

Choose your cookie cutters while the dough is freezing and the oven's preheating.

Step 7: Once your dough has frozen – all you need to do is touch it and if it feels solid, it’s ready – pull it out and onto your working space. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat ready. Since the dough will soften after it’s pulled out of the freezer, you will have to work somewhat quickly. So don’t answer the phone, don’t start an argument with your partner, and don’t watch TV while doing this. Focus on this and only this. It won’t take long.

Peel off one layer of wax paper and put it right back on the dough. Turn your dough over, lay it back down on your working counter, and pull the other layer of wax paper off. Set it aside.

Frozen dough ready to cut.

Step 8: Start cutting your cookies with your cutters. You’ll notice that because the dough is frozen, it will stay on the inside of your cutter. How convenient! Gently bring it over your baking sheet, and push it out with your fingers. Gosh I hope you washed your hands. Use as much of your dough as possible. You can re-roll and cut the leftover dough. Or, eat it. Or, give it to your husband.

Cut your cookies. The frozen dough stays in the cutter.

Move the cutter and dough to the baking sheet. Release.

Use as much of your rolled dough as possible.

Step 9: Put the cookies in the oven on the middle rack. And don’t forget to shut the oven door. Turn on your timer. And remember to turn the baking sheet around 180 degrees halfway through baking. If you’re doing two baking sheets at a time, switch racks and turn 180 degrees halfway through baking time. And if all of this is confusing, then quit. And ask your best friend to do this for you.

Step 10: You’re done. To make sure your cookies are baked completely and to the right consistency, gently, and I mean GENTLY, press one of your cookies with your index finger. If it kind of bounces back, it’s done. If it sinks and the imprint of your finger remains, it needs about one more minute.

Once your cookies are ready, pull them out and place them, still in the baking sheet, on top of a wire rack. Let them sit there for 2 to 3 minutes. Many cook books will tell you one minute. That’s bogus. The cookies are still hot, their grease is still greasy, so they are soft. Leaving the cookies on the sheet for a few more minutes allows the cookies to harden, and they’ll peel right off the sheet.

Let your cookies cool in the baking sheet for a few minutes.

Step 11: With an offset spatula, remove the cookies onto the wire rack so they can cool completely. Give them about 10 minutes minimum. Ideally, 20 minutes. Either put them in an airtight container, or, get ready to decorate.

You’re done!

Next: The decorating tutorial.

Questions? Please leave them in the comments section. Suggestions? Welcome. Complaints? Go ahead. But keep it clean. You know what I mean.

This isn’t a new year’s resolution, just a fulfillment of a goal I’ve had for a while: to move my cookie designs onto more permanent formats. In recent posts I’ve unveiled numerous cookie designs that I’ve transformed into paintings. Now some of those paintings are giclee prints, and as of today, some are greeting cards. And they’re all available in my little Etsy store! (which is about to go through a little sprucing up). I’ll preview new cards as I make them here.

And of course, I’ll be making new cookies. Yes, yes, yes!

Remember this guy?

Although I spent most of the year-end holidays trying to get more sleep (and coming to terms with the fact that, omg, I really am a parent now), I did manage to do some fun, creative things during my few conscious moments. You may recall the first time I tried to transform my beloved bulldog into a print; it didn’t really work. Wolf told me that my cookies have a very physical character to them, and that if I were serious about transforming them into more permanent formats, painting would be better. For once, I agree with my dear husband. And as you know, I’ve painted a few other cookie designs such as my Dachshund and my baby German Shepherd. Which, by the way, are now available in my Etsy store as limited edition giclee print repdroductions!

So here’s Mr. Bulldog in a painting. And soon, he’ll be in greeting card format, just in time for Valentine’s Day!

I was wondering this morning how long you have to say “Happy New Year” to people until it’s just, well, silly. Personally, I think one should have the entire month of January to say it because even if you’re the most organized person on the planet, and you sent out your year-end/new year’s greetings to everyone on your list, there’s always a chance you‘ve missed or simply forgotten someone. And then what? You run into that someone and you don’t say Happy New Year?

I have not forgotten you, my dear mischies. Oh, no. But I have missed you.

Happy. New. Year.

This year is the Year of the Tiger, which means, of course, I’m designing a Tiger cookie. The Chinese Lunar Calendar is part of what inspired me to start my cookie designing mania, and so far, I’ve designed a Sheep, a few Dogs, a Rat, a Rooster, and…what else? Oh, yes, a Monkey and an Ox. To view those beauties, either view my portfolio, or, browse my Flickr set.

This past year was an exciting one with the birth of our daughter Mimi, in October. I think this year can only be an improvement on that. So, happy new year! my friends, and I hope that 2010 brings you great happiness and excellent health. Cheers.

I was hoping I’d get around to decorating one last batch of cookies for the blog before closing down for the year. Mimi – now just over 8 weeks old! – is pretty much sleeping through the night. With more rest and a bit more energy, I thought I’d be baking and decorating like the good ol’ pre-birth days. (The penguins above are from 2008).

Right.

Friends have been dropping by with gifts and food, and the time I thought I had for baking has somehow vanished. Ordinarily I’d be whining to myself about not getting things done. But not this time around. Either I’m happy to sneak in another quick nap, or I’m busy leaning over my daughter’s crib, noticing little changes in her. Or just plain happy that she’s asleep and grateful for the quiet time.

Aside from the crappy economy, the ongoing wars and the earth’s rising temperature, 2009 has been a beautiful year. Thank you for being a part of it, and I’ll see you next year.

Cheers, mari

mischief mari cookies in the ny times.

I sent this little diddly to the NY Times just a few days ago, thinking, “They’re never going to put it in.” But there it is!

And don’t forget to check out the other amazing photos and recipes from other bakers. Wolf just spotted a most interesting recipe for Norwegian Hannukah cookies.

All of the cookies and recipes are here. Thanks NY Times editors!

Nice way to finish a slightly insane day…