Before and After

I was watching the Oscar pre-show and kept thinking that some of those movie stars clean up pretty well. I also like to watch those make-over shows on TV (mainly "What Not to Wear").  At the end of the show they show a Before and After picture. Sometimes they're hardly recognizable!

So this got me thinking about some "Before and Afters" that have been around our house lately...

For starters, here are some horseradish mashed potatoes. Looking good right? 

Before: Horseradish mashed potatoes

 

After: A surf-and-turf side dish

Let's play again. 

Before: An excited pup at the dog park

After: Curled up on the couch. Opening an eyelid is hard work. At one point, I actually checked her breathing!

Ok, Here's the final Before and After comparison for today. You knew it had to be in the baking category...

Dorie Greenspan's Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Before: Hot, fresh buttery shortbread cookies

After: A la mode. Ice cream makes everything better!

Another bonus, here's the recipe:

Brown Sugar Pecan Shortbread Sandies
By Dorie Greenspan

1 1/2 c. a.p. flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch ground cloves
8 oz. sweet butter - room temp.
3/4 c. packed lite brown sugar
1/2 c. pecans (fine ground)
Optional: confectioners sugar for dusting
1. Sift flour, cornstarch, salt & cloves.
2. Using a stand mixer w. paddle, beat butter & brown sugar on medium speed for 3 mins. or until smooth, reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients just until they disappear, add pecans - (don't overwork the dough).
3. Transfer dough inside a gallon sized ziploc & roll out to a 9 x 10 1/2" rectangle and 1/4" thickness. Turn and lift bag occasionally to avoid creases. When its the right size and thickness, seal bag (press out the air) and refrigerate dough at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
4. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
5. Line 2 baking sheets w/parchment or silpat.
6. Place ziploc on cutting board and slit open. Turn dough onto board. With a sharp knife, (and ruler as a guide) cut dough into 1-1/2" squares. Transfer to baking sheets and prick each cookie two times with fork, pushing tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet.
7. Bake 18-20 mins. rotating from top to bottom and front to back midway. They should be very pale and not take on much color.
8. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.
Optional: dust with confectioner's sugar while still hot. Cool to room temp. before serving.