Abbey Cat Chat

Long Time Coming

2011-12-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

As you may have guessed, I'm closing my doors here - it's been a fun journey but I'm moving on to focus more on my two primaty loves: painting and baking. I felt there was a lack of consistency here, with posts of baking, cooking, painting, clothes, home stuff...you name it and you would likely find it here.

As you may already know, I've had a blog for my artistic endeavors (which have also been quite neglected lately) but also created a new site, just for my adventures in the kitchen. I was able to transfer all of my baking recipes over to the new site and have a few more things to post - I hope you will join me there!

Thank you so much for all of your loyalty, kind words and input throughout the past few years. It's been a fun journey and I know that this move will only bring bigger and better things!

Abbey Cat Mondays

2011-07-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long long time since I've posted Abbey Cat but after snapping this photo last week I couldn't resist. It's so incredibly hot in our apartment our poor fluffy cat has nowhere to cool down - we often find her just lying like this in attempts to catch a breeze from the window.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, I'll be working on my Storybook Journaling tonight and hope to post more on of it tomorrow!

Day 7 - Storybook Journaling

2011-07-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

Storybook Journaling, day 7!! I am really excited about where my story is going, and I can't wait to see the finished product. It seems like it's going to take forever, but I'm chugging along!

You can check out the rest of my pages and the other participants' journals at our flickr page.

Storybook Journaling Continued!

2011-07-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

I have countless things to post, really I do....but I can't seem to get them done. I've got a new toy I've been playing with (My camera! Finally!!!) and it's been taking a lot of my time up. I did get a chance to do two new pages in my storybook that I'm creating alongside Charlotte and the other participants from the Flickr group. I hope to do a few more pages tonight!

Storybook Journaling - Day 4

2011-07-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

Although I vowed up and down about doing numerous pages last night, I just didn't get to it. I did only one, but am very happy with how it came out!! I hope you enjoy - I've got recipes to post (finally!!) that I'll attempt to put up tomorrow.

You can check out the rest of the Storybook Journaling at our flickr group. Enjoy!

Storybook Journaling!

2011-07-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

My amazingly talented and creative pseudo-sis-in-law and very close friend Charlotte was inspired a few weeks ago by all of the Journaling Challenges she's been seeing everywhere that she decided to create one of her own. She just finished a 'page-a-day' type challenge with different prompts daily, but wanted to make something with a tad more substance and an awesome finished product. She came up with the idea of making a 'Storybook Journaling' challenge, where participants create a page every day, following a storyline of their own and ending with a complete little book. How brilliant, right?

I don't know why I'm surprised - this girl is seriously the craftiest person I know. Creativity oozes out of her like sweat (gross analogy I know, but so true). She created a Flickr group, made some very general guidelines and got us started with some adorable pages revolving around her eccentric and zany cat Weetzie.

Those of you who know me personally know far too well that I put waaaay too much on my plate. I felt horrible that when the Charlotte's project started out I didn't start with her...to be honest I didn't even start until this Monday, where I did 3 pages and only stopped because I was falling asleep. I also spent some time making the general storyline, which really got me motivated to plow through it and catch up to the rest of the participants.

Lou Pinkerton is a character I've sketched, painted and drawn numerous times and like many who doodle characters, they all have their own personalities. I was excited to give Lou a story of his own...I hope you enjoy the journey of watching this story grow, and be sure to stop by and check out the Flickr group to see everyone else's! And please, if you have any inkling of joining in the challenge, do so. It doesn't even necessarily have to be a daily page - I've only got 3 so far! I think it's an awesome project that will help guide you and motivate you through creating something of your own that you can show your kids, grandkids and friends and family years from now. It's definitely a project worth trying, and I hope you join in!

My Dress Dillema

2011-06-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

I've got a dress dillema that I'm hoping my fellow readers (you!!) can help me with. I've a relatively new shopper at the online boutique Ruche - they have the most beautiful lookbooks you've ever seen and I love their romatic, fun outfits. My first purchase with them I kept two of the four tops I purchased and a beautiful necklace, a surprisingly high success rate for me.

I understand and expect that when I order things in the mail I won't like everything I receive. When their last lookbook came out I ordered a few things, one of them being this adorable and wonderful dress (below). Everything else I purchased this time will be returned, but I'm stumped on this dress. It's beautiful, and fits me like a glove with beautiful detailing around the neck and lower half. It hugs in all the right places and I even think the bright pink belt pairs perfectly with it.

From the Clouds Ruffle Dress, $59.99
Passionate Heart Applique Wide Elastic Belt, $15.99

Now here's the problem: When I purchased this I didn't realize how dressy it was. I imagined it arriving to me and being a more causal, cotton dress that I could wear running errands or going to the park...normal things. However this dress is well...dressy. It would be perfect for a brunch with the ladies, a shower of some sort or a semi-formal social function, which I regrettably don't have too many of at this point in my life.

Realistically, I will never use this belt for anything other than the dress, so I'm just going to assume that it's part of the dress. I tried all the other belts that I have and this one by far looks the best; the color pops and adds that perfect touch. Aside from this dress I'll never wear it (it just isn't 'me'), so for arguement's sake I'm going to assume that they are combined, and the dress was $75.98.

Do I keep this beautiful, classy, adorable dress even though I have no real occasion for it? I'm sure parties will come up (there is actually a family function in a few weeks that I could wear it to...) and it will get worn but is it right to keep something that you really like if you have no real intent for it? It's certainly not an everyday dress but I could see wearing it if (no, when!) I get into event planning to meet clients and as a fun work outfit.

So kind readers, what should I do? Should I keep it and hope to wear it sometime in the future, or should I save my $76 and return it because I don't have an occasion for it? Have you ever purchased an outfit with no immediate use in mind, and if so did it eventually get worn? Help me!!

Absence

2011-06-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

I've been so wrapped up and busy the past few weeks I've barely had a chance to pop in and say hello! We've been unbelievably swamped and I sadly haven't baked anything in over a month; I've got two batches of banana bread waiting to be made but I haven't been able to get moving in the kitchen.

I had surgery on my knee last week and was out of work - I thought this would enable me to catch up on this blog, to cook and bake every day and get things done around the apartment but I did absolutely nothing. The week flew by and I only succeeded in watching loads of bad movies, sleeping a lot and organizing some old photos I've been meaning to go through.

I'm slowly getting back on my feet - I can't stand for too long and still am in pain but am excitedly anticipating my transition back into exercising in a month or two. I've never felt so unhealthy in all my life! Not being able to exercise is definitely taking its toll on me.

I've been hunting online and done tons of research for a new camera and think I have narrowed it down to the Canon Rebel T2i. I'm getting restless using my dad's old Minolta - It's a great camera and I love playing with it but it just doesn't have many of the features that today's cameras have, like strong macro settings and video capabilities. I've been patiently saving up money from my Etsy sales and hoping I'll be able to treat myself for my birthday this summer!

I also found this amazing company that makes camera bags for women - they are beautiful and I am so thrilled about the hobo bag (below) for my camera and all it's needs. It's padded just like a normal camera bag so I'll be able to happily carry my camera wherever I go without having to cart around a purse as well.

I've been very lazy on the artistic side as well and want to get back into sketching and painting every day. I find myself yearning for an artistic outlet and I miss painting terribly. I've actually got 6 or 7 completed sketches that I'm ready to paint, and 2 paintings that I've had ready to post in Etsy for months with no time to do so. I've got a lazy weekend coming up, so hopefully you'll see new prints there!

Does anyone else's life seem like a neverending list of chores and obligations?? I've been so busy I can barely breathe!

Death by Chocolate Cookies

2011-05-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

My grandpa is, shall we say, not the easiest person to please. So when he told me he loves fudgy, chocolaty treats I made it my mission to bake him some tasty gooey treats that he can snack on in between my visits. I found a few recipes that I thought could work and mixed them together with great results. They were the richest, most chocolaty cookies I've ever had and I couldn't stop eating them! Their texture was much like a chocolate chip cookie but they tasted like the most delicious brownie you've ever had - next time I will try to add walnuts to them to cut a bit of the sweetness and add that perfect crunch.

Death by Chocolate Cookies (click for printable recipe)
Adapted from Love from the Oven

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2¼ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer at medium speed combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in the cocoa powder. Scrape bowl and mix again until just combined.
Add flour, salt and baking powder and mix on low until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Warning: this dough is SUPER thick!
Roll heaping tablespoons into balls and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Flatten tops slightly with a spatula. Bake 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Cookies are done when resistance is met when poked slightly about halfway in from the edge of the cookie. Don't overcook! These are much better as soft cookies.
Allow to cook 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2011-05-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

(I posted this last week, but during the complications on Blogger it got deleted! I'm so very sorry. Here it is, again.)

A few weeks ago during Passover I surprised my coworkers with this flourless chocolate cake. I had been holding onto this recipe for a while and hadn't had a reason to make it until now, where many of my fellow employees were on dietary restrictions for the holiday.

The recipe came together rather simply and I really loved the new glazing trick I learned: add a bit of glaze, freeze and then finish, to create a smooth and flaw-free cake (see below for more details). Although rich, this cake isn't overly sweet or heavy. It's fudgy and decadent but leaves you craving more rather than feeling bloated. Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake (click for printable recipe)

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

1½ cups semisweet chocolate, chopped

¾ cup unsalted butter at room tempurature

6 eggs, separated

¾ cup sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup light corn syrup

1 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped

about ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchement paper. Butter paper.
Stir 1½ cups chocolate and butter in heavy saucepan over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and cool until lukewarm, stirring every few minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat egg yolks and half the sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until mixture is thick. Fold cooled chocolate mixture and vanilla extract into yolk mixture, set aside.
Using clean, dry beaters (very important!) beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining sugar and beat until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into yolk mixture in 3 batches until just combined. Pour into pan.
Using aluminum foil, create a hood by centering 2 or 3 long pieces under bottom and bringing up to the center of the cake - leave at least 4 or 5 inches from top of pan for the cake to rise, and fold foil into itself so it remains closed. Bake about 50 minutes, or until cake is puffed and cracked and toothpick inserted in center brings up a few moist crumbs. Cool cake in pan on rack.
Gently press down crusty top to make even cake, then invert onto cake plate or stand (you will be icing the bottom of the cake). Peel off parchment paper.
For Glaze: bring heavy whipping cream and corn syrup to low simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat, add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Spread about ½ cup glaze over top and sides of cake and immediately freeze for 4 minutes. Remove and pour rest of glaze over cake, smoothing as much as you can. Create a border with chocolate chips along outside of cake, and chill cake for 1 hour. Once glaze is set, sprinkle chocolate shavings all over cake. Enjoy!

Abbey Cat Mondays

2011-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and lovely Mother's Day. I spent the weekend hanging with my parents and spending some quality time with the very best mom in the world!

These past few weeks have been more hectic than I can imagine, which is partly to blame for my lack of Abbey Cat Mondays. Another problem is sadly, I've been running out of pictures of our poofy feline! This one was taken from my phone - we always get a kick out of how she lays like this. If you walk over her she will roll from side to side, pawing at your feet. We've been thinking a lot about getting a friend for Abbey Cat but will most likely wait until we get a bigger place - Grant's allergies are already bad enough with one cat and I can't imagine having more cat hair flying around our small apartment!

This weekend I hope to show you two great desserts I made recently - a flourless chocolate cake I made for my coworkers during Passover and some Death by Chocolate cookies I baked in a sweet tooth frenzy late at night. Stay Tuned!

Funfetti

2011-05-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

I play in a kickball league and was recently shocked when most of them admitted they had never had funfetti cupcakes. I was shocked! I remember eating the frosting with a spoon and scarfing down 2 or 3 cupcakes at a time.

I felt it was my duty to give them the experience of funfetti in all it's sweet, gooey glory so I made a batch for a potluck we had last week. Everyone loved them! Making these really made me realize how much easier it is to make cakes from a mix and although they tasted fabulous, I love baking from scratch. They brought back fond memories of sleepovers, Sanrio and JTT. Aah, the memories.

French Yogurt Cake

2011-05-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

By nature I'm naturally drawn to chocolatey desserts - chocolate sweets tempt me in a way that no pie, cookie, or vanilla cake can do. That is, until now. I recently scored loads of strawberries for .88 cents and wanted to make use of them with a lighter, summery dessert to bring in the warm spring weather we've been greeted with. Boy, I'm glad I chose to go with this cake! It was simple but complex, dense but light. It had all the parts that a great cake require and then some. I'm so proud!

While the recipe calls for the cake to be flipped on a platter and iced on it's own I left it in my pyrex and iced it. I would have loved to put it on a beautiful serving platter but realized I don't have any serving platters large enough for a sheet cake. It still looked festive and tasted spectacular, with less clean up!

French Yogurt Cake with Strawberry Puree (click for printable recipe)

Adapted from Gourmet

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

3 cups cake flour (use cake flour! It really makes a difference)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

3 eggs, at room temperature

2 cups plain yogurt, at room temperature

For the Icing:

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp light corn syrup

½ cup heavy cream

½ tsp vanilla

For the Coulis:

¼ cup water

3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups strawberries, or any other berries (raspberries, blackberries and blueberries all work wonderfully!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 cake pan, then line bottom with parchment paper. Butter top of paper and dust with flour.

In a medium sized bowl, combine cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy, about 304 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time on medium speed. Lower speed and add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with yogurt and starting and finishing with flour mixture.

Mix only until combined. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes then loosen edges of cake with knife and flip onto cooling rack. Cool completely.

For Frosting: Mix all ingredients until smooth, then spread icing on cooled cake, allowing it to run down the sides.

For Coulis: Mix all ingredients (minus about half of the fruit you are using) in food processor until just combined. Don't overprocess - chunks are good! Combine with unprocessed fruit and serve along with cake. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Cookies

2011-04-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I'm a chocoholic-sugar-midnight snack addict and contrastly, Grant could care less about the sugary goodness that comes out of our kitchen. Lately I've been taking my sweet confections to work for my fellow employees to enjoy rather than leaving them seducing me at home, which is more than I can resist late at night with my rumbling tummy. I usually leave a bit of whatever I made at home for Grant but it often goes completely untouched. I'm always surprised by this and I don't know how he does it, but he has the ability to pass over sweets like they're brussel sprouts (which I actually find quite tasty!).

The paradox behind all of this is while I'm forcing him to try my cakes and cookies with no success a quick trip to his parents' house and he's snacking on him mom's sweets constantly. Aren't mine good enough?? He chomps down on her banana bread and sugar cookies like a kid locked inside a candy store. Oh cruel world, why do you leave me with these uneaten confections sitting lonely at my apartment? You know I can't resist!

Anywho, in my attempts to solve this dilemma I decided to make one of my pseudo-in-law's famous cookies she makes: brown sugar cookies. These have all the consistency of a regular sugar cookie (soft, crumbly and sweet) but are heavy on brown sugar and have amazing results. They melt in your mouth and leave you wanting another (after another, after another...), and you won't believe what happened - Grant ate a bunch of them! This, my dear readers, is a minor miracle for me.

The precision required in making these is vital, especially during the cooking process. I cooked one sheet of 12 at a time and turned them exactly halfway through cooking (7 minutes in). And after 13 minutes I took them out, even though they looked a little undone and the result was magical. They never hardened or got crunchy - they were spectacular. I'll be making these babies time and time again!

Brown Sugar Cookies (click for printable recipe)

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:

14 tbsp unsalted butter

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 cups flour, plus 2 tbsp

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1½ tbsp vanilla extract

Heat 10 tbsp butter in medium sized skillet over medium high heat until melted. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, or until butter is dark golden brown. Remove from heat and put in the mixer's bowl. Add rest of butter and set aside to melt.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In small bowl or dish combine granulated sugar and ¼ cup brown sugar and mix well. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder.
Combine remaining brown sugar and salt in bowl with butter and mix for about 30 seconds, until mixture is free of lumps. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated, making sure to scrape down sides of bowl. Add flour mixture slowly, stirring until just mixed, about 1 minute. Scrape sides of bowl and give one final stir to ensure everything's blended.
Divide dough into 24 pieces, each about 2 tbsp of dough. Roll into a ball and toss in sugar mixture and set about 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake only one sheet at a time until cookies are round and puffy but center is still soft, about 12-14 minutes - make sure to rotate the cookies around 7 minutes in. They will look underdone but they will be perfect! When poked gently between the edge and the center there should be some resistance and leave a slight indent.
Allow to cool on pan for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Clove & Honey

2011-04-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Stone & Honey? It's kind of hard to avoid their beautiful and tempting work. If I could only own jewelry from one place it would definitely be theirs; it seems so very me without being monotonous. Their products are a little on the pricey end for young struggling adults (read: me) but I can dream of the day where I'll gift myself with something gorgeous from their endless collection of gems, necklaces and rings. My favorites are the Baolith Necklace (far right) and the Tiny Triangle Rings.

Arlo Necklace, $76, Isosceles Earrings, $75, Hank Necklace, $60, Baolith Necklace, $87,

Caldera Bracelet, $83, Tiny Triangle Rings, $20 each

Palline di Limone

2011-04-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's not often your boss brings you a bag of twenty-something lemons, picked fresh from the tree and just begging to be used up. I"m up to my ears in lemons and while I've got no trouble finding uses for them, (I cleaned out my microwave, cleaned my garbage disposal, made some wood cleaner and cooked some lemon herb pasta) my favorite is clearly baking. It's fun getting more and more experience with my oven and in an attempt to rid myself of the endless lemon supply I found this recipe in an old Italian baking cookbook and gave them a try.

Holy moly. They are splendid! It really took me back to Italy where many of the baked goods are a tad more bland and lighter than our traditional cookies and cupcakes here. They are even more addicting to me than the standard 'chocolate chip' because they are so airy and petite...I could eat them for days! I could imagine they would be fantastic with coffee or tea but I was too impatient - I scarfed mine down solo.

They really are unlike any other cookie I've ever had in all the right ways. Next time I'm going to dye the icing in blue, green and pink to make them a bit more festive for spring. Hope you enjoy!

Palline di Limone (click for printable recipe)

Adapted from Michele Scicolone's 'La Dolce Vita'

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1¼ tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

3 eggs, at room tempurature

1½ tbsp lemon extract

1½ tsp almond extract

3 tsp lemon zest, grated

1/3 cup milk

For Icing:

1½ cups powdered sugar

4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl between each addition. Beat in lemon extract, almond extract and lemon zest.
Stir in half of flour mixture on low speed, then add milk. Add remaining flour mixture and stir until blended. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
After chilled, make 1 inch balls and place them about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until puffed but not brown. When touched they should leave a slight indent and have some resistance, and the bottoms should be slightly golden brown. Allow to cool fully on wire rack.
For Icing: combine confectioners sugar and lemon juice. Stir in water drop by drop until desired consistency (I like mine a bit thinner for icing, but it's all personal preference!). Drizzle icing over cookies until fully covered or alternately, brush icing onto cookies using a pastry brush. Allow to dry, and enjoy!

Housewarming Art!

2011-04-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Grant and I spent a large chunk of the weekend helping Charlotte and Taylor move into their very first home. It went smoother than I would have ever imagined, but I'm sure they are quite overwhelmed with endless to-do lists and new expenses. I am so excited for them to be moved into their very own (and very awesome, I must say) new home!

Ever since they have been looking for a place I've seen adorable and wonderful things that I would have loved to gift them, but alas, I'm trying desperately to save money. Then a few months ago Charlotte posted about this piece from Ballard. She mentioned how it would be a great 'at home' project, seeing that Ballard was charging nearly $300 for theirs and it got my brain working. I could make this, no problem! I also noticed that the Ballard listing mentioned the original artist, Denise Fiedler and after some research found a bit more about her: she's made countless similar collages from dogs to clothes to cityscapes. They are so clever and cute, and using her originals as models I crafted my own as a housewarming present for Charlotte and Taylor. I'm really happy with how they turned out and enjoyed creating them more than I would have ever imagined. I'm definitely keeping these in mind for later when we move into a bigger place, and for others when they move as well!

Lemon Buttermilk Cake

2011-04-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

It seems like no matter how many recipes I have for delicious sweets I am aways drawn to the lemon ones. It may be due my mundane reasoning that lemon makes things lighter and healthier than their chocolatey
counterparts or it may be just because they are darn good. Either way I think I've found the best lemon bundt cake out there. Unbeatable. And beautiful! It's a rare feat for me to come out with something so pretty that tastes equally stellar. It was gobbled up at work before noon.

This bundt was quite simple to make aside from the grating of many lemons. For some reason I loathe grating citrus. It seems like a neverending task and with at least 5 lemons to grate for this recipe I was writhing all around the kitchen in attempts to speed up the process. The unmistakable lemony flavor shined from my patience and produced a sweet, delicious snack. Horray horrah, success!

Lemon Buttermilk Cake (click for printable recipe)
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 tbsp grated lemon peel (about 3 lemons)
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1½ cups + 3 tbsp granulated sugar
3 cups flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened
1-1½ tsp lemon extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk

For Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp buttermilk
grated lemon zest (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bundt pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar.
Combine 4 tbsp ring and 3 tbsp juice in small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir well.
Beat butter with mixer at high speed until light and fluffy. Add remaining 1½ cups sugar, rind mixture and extracts, beating until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lower mixer speed to low and add flour mixture and buttermilks alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
Spoon batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely.
For Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and buttermilk in a small bowl. Stir with a whisk until smooth and drizzle over cake. Top with grated lemon zest if you'd like. Enjoy!

Captain Hook Tuesday!

2011-04-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

I missed out posting Abbey Cat yesterday so I thought I'd show you the cat that made me love cats, Captain Hook. He was Grant's family cat for over 15 years before he passed away and we all miss him dearly. He was the most awesome cat ever. EVER.

I spent the weekend helping Charlotte and Taylor move into their new home! It was so fun and worth all of the hard work seeing their long-waited anticipation of owning their very own place finally become reality. Surprisingly, there were very few hitches and because they had already moved most of the smaller things into place before the weekend the workload was minimal. I'm pretty tired now though, and I can't imagine how they feel with their neverending list of to-do's!

I'm excited to show you the housewarming present that I made for them, which I will post shortly. I was really pleased with how they came out. Stay tuned!

Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake

2011-04-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

I made this bundt cake last fall and have been looking for an excuse to make it again. It was moist and rich, and nearly impossible to eat a whole slice at once. The stout gave it a wonderful dense texture and I was able to recreate this chocolatey goodness for St. Patrick's day.

Yes, I know St. Patrick's Day was nearly a month ago. In a perfect world I would have posted this the day after, but life happened. It's still a fabulous green cake!

Chocolate Stout Bundt Cake (click for printable recipe)

adapted from Real Simple

Ingredents:

1 cup plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter

unsweetened cocoa powder (for the bundt pan)

2½ cups flour

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¾ cup Guinness beer

14 oz semisweet chocolate

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup sour cream

½ cup heavy cream

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.
Combine butter and stout in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and add 8 oz of chocolate and whisk until smooth.
Beat the eggs and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add in stout mixture and sour cream. Lower speed and mix in flour until just combined. Pour into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs, 45-55 minutes.
Let cool 30 minutes in pan, then invert onto wire rack and allow to cool completely. For the glaze: bring heavy cream to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat and add remaining chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake and top with powdered sugar when mostly set. Enjoy!

Abbey Cat Mondays

2011-04-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

I feel like our weekend was only .275 hours instead of 48 but I was able to get some much needed cleaning done and spend time with the family. It went by so fast! I'm working on a very special project that I will show you soon - I can't divulge too much but I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Abbey Cat lays like this only on extremely rare occasions. We were able to snap this photo a few years back right before she slid off the couch. Can you believe she can sleep like this??

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-04-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

My mom gave me her recipe for chicken tortilla soup years ago - over time I've combined it with a few other recipes and tweaked it here and there, and now it's one of my favorite quick soups to make. We have leftovers for days and it's the perfect dinner with a small quesadilla or nachos. I'll definitely keep this tried and true recipe because it's fast and foolproof; maybe someday after wrangling children and working hard all day I'll crank this out like my mom did when we were kids. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup (click for printable recipe)

Ingredients:

10 corn tortillas

3 tbsp canola oil

3 red onions, chopped

6 cloves minced garlic

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced

3 tbsp oregano

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp chile powder

2 bay leaves

2 4.5oz can chopped green chiles, drained

1 15oz can black beans, drained

1 28oz can chopped tomatoes

8 cups chicken stock

juice from 5 limes

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1½ pound chicken breast, grilled and shredded

salt and pepper

Toppings:

crumbled feta or shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend)

avocado, diced

sour cream

cilantro

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice tortillas into thin strips and spread evenly on cookie sheet.
Heat oil in a large dutch oven and sauté onion until 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and chipotle chiles and stir for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green chiles and black beans and allow to cook 3 minutes, then add stock, lime juice, oregano, garlic salt, chile powder and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile: Bake tortilla strips for 15 minutes or until browned, flipping halfway through. Top individual bowls with tortilla strips and other garnishes to your liking. Enjoy!

Basketball with Lou & Zoey - New Print!

2011-04-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

Basketball - Watercolor & Gouache Print

8x10 - $18, 5x7 - $12

also blogged about here

Chocolate Orange Layer Cake

2011-04-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for an excuse to make this cake for a while and finally whipped it up for my co-workers' birthday. It was definitely a bit messier to make than some cakes and I used quite a few bowls for the various icings but it was well worth it - the combination of fluffy cake, orangey mouse and rich chocolate ganache was absolutely sinful.

Chocolate Orange Layer Cake (click here for printable recipe)

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 cup boiling water

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

⅓ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

cooking spray

3 tsp flour

1¾ cup sugar

6 tbsp butter, softened

2½ tsp vanilla extract

3 large egg whites

½ cup sour cream

1 cup cake flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

For Filling:

⅓ cup orange juice

3 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

3 tsp unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp flour

dash of salt

1/8 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup frozen whipped topping (like Cool-Whip), thawed

For Glaze:

2 tbsp evaporated low-fat milk

2 tbsp butter

½ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

powdered sugar (for top)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line bottoms with wax paper. Coat paper with cooking spray and dust each pan with flour.
For Cake: Combine boiling water and cocoa in a bowl, stir until smooth. Add ⅓ cup bittersweet chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside. In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
Beat sugar, butter and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer on medium high for 2 minutes. Add egg whites, one at a time and beat well after each addition, then add sour cream and beat for 2 additional minutes. Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture alternately to sugar, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
Divide batter between two pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes then invert onto racks and cool completely. Discard wax paper.
For Filling: combine all ingredients but whipped topping in small saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil for one minute, stirring frequently. Pour into a bowl and chill until cold, usually about an hour. Fold in whipped topping. Spread filling over top of 1 cake layer, leaving small, half-inch border. Top with remaining layer and press down gently until filling reaches edges of cake.
For Glaze: combine milk, butter and chocolate in microwave safe bowl and microwave 1 minute or until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cake and allow to drip over the edges. Allow to dry and sprinkle top with powdered sugar, if desired. Enjoy!

Jones Family Lineage

2011-04-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Jones Family Lineage - Watercolor & Gouache Print

5x7 - $12

8x10 - $18

also blogged about here