Cherry Tea Cakes

Light Hot Toddy

2012-12-20T20:50:00.001-05:00

this post is part of the DailyBuzz Food Tastemaker program with Sweet'N Low

Happy holiday season to all!

Many of us (myself included) are getting ready to board planes, trains, or automobiles and head off for the holidays. Inevitably we will eat far too many sweets (we all know I do!), probably catch a cold from traveling, and be in much need of a warm soothing drink.

As a treat to your waste line this holiday season, I (at the behest of Sweet'N Low) have come up with a lower cal and low sugar hot toddy! Normally this recipe would have one tablespoons of honey but at 60 calories and 16 grams of sugar it's not exactly a friend to a New Years resolutions! Most hot toddies will run you 175 calories and 16 grams of sugar but with just with a small switch of liquors and replacing honey with a packet of Sweet'N Low we're now down to 110 calories and just 6 grams of sugar! Just think: you have to do 5 sit ups to burn 1 calorie, so that small switch saves you the 325 sit ups it would take to burn it off!

Happy holidays and happy travels!

Light Hot Toddy

1 packet Sweet'N Low
1/2 cup hot water
3 tablespoons honey bourbon or honey whiskey
1 3x1/2" strips lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick

Stir Sweet'N Low and water in a glass. Add honey whiskey. Twist a strip of lemon peel over the drink, then add to glass. Stir with a cinnamon stick and serve.

homemade thin mints

2012-12-15T18:21:00.000-05:00

This weekend has been spent in preparations for my annual gingerbread house competition. I should clarify: we don't really make houses, and it's not really a competition. Brandon and I are simply competitive people. I have this odd belief that since I bake often, decorate cakes and oh say, have a food blog, I should be able to make a better gingerbread house. This has not proven to be true. I plan meticulous, spend hours creating patterns, and he just wings it and it. is. amazing. ....and infuriating. This year I'm making a gingerbread carousel and I intend to dominate. I hope. I hope. I hope.

So why the thin mints?

Eating the gingerbread supplies during the building process is frowned upon. I have at least twelve friends coming to build homes, and if we all eat the candy canes my carousel is in big trouble. To prevent snacking on my structural support I'm providing a diversion. Thins mints certainly are that! Not to mention that they are my new favorite recipe. Yes. Fav-or-ite. I mean it.

The recipe is one I recently created and can be found on Sheknows.com.

A few notes: I prefer to use Dutch Process Cocoa, kosher salt, and most recently I tried cutting the unsalted butter in the chocolate glaze to 1/3 of a cup and found that the small decrease rid the cookies of a slight butter aftertaste. If you're going to do sprinkles, put them on immediately. The chocolate will set quickly.

Enjoy and a happy holiday season to you all!

Wreath Cookies

2012-12-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been doing a good bit of blogging and baking for SheKnows.com. These almond sandies are one of the recipes I recently did for a one-dough-four-ways article. An almond sandie is an adaptation of a pecan sandie, and if that still means nothing to you it's basically a short bread cookie with added ground almonds I received from OhNuts.com. The real cuteness is that instead of rolling and cutting the dough into shapes, I pressed it into the bottom of a mini bundt pan. Bake as usual, allow to cool, and dunk is a nice green glaze and you have yourself a holiday wreath!

For the full recipe visit my article on SheKnows.com. While you are there, I truly recommend the homemade thin mints! I'm extremely happy with them!

Cheers! And happy holidays!

Red White and Blueberry Upside Down Cupcakes

2012-11-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

Moist and simple, but with a fresh twist! An upside down cupcake is quick but has a very special twist! White cake mixed with red food coloring and a blueberry layer make a unique treat for the Fourth of July (or when the US was still in the World Cup....sad!). As seen on Photograzing.

red white and blueberry upside down cupcake

Watching the World Cup has been so intense. Between BAD calls in the Germany vs. England game or the two goals scored back to back within minutes by Argentina I had been biting my nails! I made these cupcakes for a US game watching party...its a shame that the results were not equally good. The cupcakes were lovely, the soccer scores were not. I think the US was far too dependent on Donovan...but I'm a baker, not a sports analyst. I know food...and is it me or did the Ghana team uniforms look like like a McDonald's commercial circa 1987. Everytime I saw a close up of the red and yellow uniforms I just couldn't help but wonder if they wanted fries with that goal.

I'm not going to pretend these are a fancy cupcake. They were the product of 45 minutes of time between a camping trip and game time. I confess, I used a mix again. If you're looking to color cakes red (the most daunting color) I recommend using Wilton's No Taste Red and lots of it! I split the mix in half and added more than a teaspoon of the dye. It's a tough color to reach. For some reason red dye's just don't behave the same as the rest. If you are looking for blue dye, Wilton also makes a very nice Royal Blue, which is a perfect USA blue instead of the bright blues you'll tend to get with other dyes.

Hopefully your cupcakes turn out just as well...though you might have to use the blueberry upside down cupcakes to cheer on Brazil instead.

red white and blue cupcakes

Red White and Blueberry Upside Down Cupcakes

1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 white cage mix
1 cup blueberries
water, oil and eggs according to cake mix instructions
Wilton White Dye
Wilton Red No Taste Dye

Preheat oven to 325.

Line two cupcakes tins with liners.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium low heat. Add sugar and continue to cook for five minutes.

Mix cake mix. Add water. Mix. Add Oil. Mix. Add egg whites one at a time, mixing after each addition.

Split the cake batter in two. Add White dye to one half and red dye to the other half. (The white dye does make a noticeable difference).

Divide the butter and sugar mixture between the cupcake liners. Add about 7 or 8 blueberries to each cupcake liner. Spoon the white cake batter over the blueberries. Top with red cake batter.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool for five minutes before attempting to invert.

Enjoys!

Blueberry Cobbler Bars

2012-11-17T14:35:00.000-05:00

Now if you're like me, you're staring at the blueberry cobbler bar and thinking: Well why not just make blueberry cobbler? Making it into a bar, though cute, seems a bit frivolous. Just make the darn cobbler! .....by the way, I love cobbler. I keep frozen fruit and frozen cobbler topping in my freezer. Yes, I'm serious. It's this recipe of my Aunt Kathy's right there. Yep. I make the topping, and while it's all happy and crumbly and gooey and yummy I throw it into an airtight freezing container and store it. Cobbler with just the baking time? Yes please! .........I'm so lazy...or a genius. Some days that line is pretty thin.

While walking that line I came up with an idea to make this even simpler. Now it's cobbler with just 30 seconds in the microwave! My reasoning? It's TOO DARN HOT to heat up my oven just to make a single serving of cobbler! So, I gave this some thought, and decided freezing a cooked cobbler bar was the perfect solution, all the cobbler, none of the heat, and none of the mess. Do not underestimate the amount of effort a lazy person will put into maintaining their laziness. This is a skill set I am very excited to develop further. I could call it "time management" or "plan ahead desserts" or even "food storage" or "thrift" but no no. This is laziness. Let's not dress it up.

So, whether you eat them fresh, or are a lazy dessertaholic like me who freezes them, this cobbler bar is a lovely treat. If you have a beloved cobbler recipe the idea is simple: make twice of much cobbler topping, put half of that on the bottoms, press it down, bake it a bit, and throw on top of that your regular cobbler recipe, then divide and devour. Simple right? Want to use my recipe instead? It's right there waiting for you. Cheers and many happy cobbler bars to you all!

Blueberry Cobbler Bars

1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, or combination thereof
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a stand mixer, stir together the brown sugar, flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and spices. Add butter and egg and mix on a medium speed until the dough becomes crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

Bake for roughly five minutes. Remove the pan and allow to cool slightly.

In another bowl, stir together the white sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the semi baked crust. Crumble remaining cobbler dough over top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into squares.

** To freeze the bars, allow them to cool completely. Place each bar in an individual freezer bag. Using a straw, suck out the excess air to create a somewhat vacuum packed seal. Put the bagged bars into a suitable freezing container. When read to eat, simply reheat in the microwave.

Fraisier

2012-11-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

This month I was lucky enough to be the Daring Bakers hostess for the challenge! As the host, it's a tad bit awkward to include the blog checking lines in a graceful way......so, as I have no grace I'll aim for my usual forwardness:

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

If you've ever eaten at Tartine, seen their bread book or bakery book, you know full well why I would challenge everyone to their recipes! It is one of the best bakeries I have been to in the U.S. I was recently in San Francisco and actually got to pay a little visit to the shop after a long line that wrapped around the block that is! If you go, the two things you must absolutely try are the almond rochers and the banana cream tart. I know, banana cream tarts are "blah" when you think about it, but trust me when I say that it will blow your mind. Just last night Butchie returned from San Francisco with a box of their treats for me, and that rocher lasted all of ten seconds in my care. I don't know how they do it, but they do it well!

It's been so fun, and at times, nail biting to watch bloggers posting their completed masterpieces in our private viewing gallery. For some people the cream never set, for others the cake failed, but for most the recipe worked out splendidly. The more I make the chiffon cake recipe, the better I get at it and realize that what I thought was a great cake, gets even better.

I love creativity so when thinking up the rules I gave the bloggers a pretty liberal set of rules, allowing them to use their own flavor combinations. Though, as a side note: It is only truly a fraisier if there are strawberries. This is not negotiable. Our cakes kept in the spirit of the fraisiers even when not a true fraisier. But who could resist throwing in a few blueberries?

Some of my favorites were made by (from left to right): an adorable classic fraisier by tarte pink, a double layer by you made that?, a grape-ier by taste of youth, mini fraisiers by my kitchen treasures, peach and blueberry-ier by the great cake company and a cherry-ier by brilhante glacear.

I'm so so so excited by how amazing everyone's cakes have turned out. Though the challenge was time consuming, I'm hoping that everyone enjoyed the process and was as enthused by the result as I was! If you have the time and inclination, try it out for yourself! It's a challenge, but the result is well worth the effort!

A mighty thanks to everyone who participated this month! Cheers!

Basic Chiffon Cake

1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270 ml) (5½ oz/155 gm) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (4 gm) baking powder
3/4 cups (180 ml) (6 oz /170 gm) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) (1½ gm) salt, preferably kosher
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (3.17 fl oz/95 ml) water
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon (3¾ ml) (3 gm) lemon zest, grated
5 large egg whites
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1 gm) cream of tartar

Preheat the oven to moderate 325°F (160°C/gas mark 3).
Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) spring form pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan. (some found it better to split the cake batter between two 8 inch pans. to each their own)
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add in all but 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) of sugar, and all of the salt. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl combine the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly.
Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly for about one minute, or until very smooth.
Put the egg whites into a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed using a whisk attachment on a medium speed, until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on a medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until the whites hold firm and form shiny peaks.
Using a grease free rubber spatula, scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Removed the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the pan and remove the spring form sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to four days.

Variations to the Basic Chiffon Cake:

Lemon Chiffon Cake

Ingredient Alterations:
Reduce water to 1/4 cup (60 ml)
Add 1/8 cup (30 ml) lemon juice
Increase lemon zest to 1½ teaspoon (7½ ml) (5 gm)
Remove the vanilla from the recipe

Direction Alterations:
Follow the directions, same as above, adding the lemon juice and zest to the oil, egg yolks and water in step 4.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Ingredient Alterations:
Replace the full amount of water with orange juice
Replace lemon zest with the zest of one orange
Remove the vanilla from the recipe

Direction Alterations:
Follow the directions, same as above, adding the orange juice and zest to the oil, and egg yolks in step 4.

Coconut Chiffon Cake

Ingredient Alterations:
Add ¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1 gm) freshly ground nutmeg
Reduce oil to 1/8 cup (1 fl oz/30ml)
Reduce water to 1/8 cup (1 fl oz/30ml)
Add 1/3 cup (2 ⅔fl oz/80 ml) unsweetened coconut milk
Remove the vanilla from the recipe

Direction Alterations:
Follow the directions, same as above, adding the nutmeg to the flour mixture in step 3, and the coconut milk to the oil, water and egg yolks in step 4.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Ingredient Alterations:
Reduce all-purpose flour to ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (195 ml) (4 oz/110 g)
Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) (3/4 oz/20 g) cocoa powder

Direction Alterations:
Follow the directions, same as above, adding the cocoa to the flour mixture in step 3.

Pastry Cream Filling:

1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) whole milk
1/2 teaspoon (2½ ml) pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon (1/2 ml) (¼ gm) salt, preferably kosher
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (10 gm)cornstarch
1/4 cup (60 ml) (2 oz/55 gm) sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (1 oz/30 gm) unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon (3¾ ml) (4 gm) gelatin
1/2 tablespoon (7½ ml) water
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) heavy cream

Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and scald, bringing it to a near boiling point. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a stand mixer add the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to combine
Add the eggs to the sugar and cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
When the milk is ready, gently and slowly while the stand mixer is whisking, pour the heated milk down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture.
Pour the mixture back into the warm pot and continue to cook over a medium heat until the custard is thick, just about to boil and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for ten minutes stirring occasionally.
Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream a piece at a time until smooth.
Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for up to five days.
In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes to soften.
Put two inches (55 mm) of water into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
Measure 1/4 cup (2 oz/60 ml) of the chilled pastry cream into a small stainless steel bowl that will sit across the sauce pan with the simmering water, without touching the water.
Heat the cream until it is 120 F (48.8 °C). Add the gelatin and whisk until smooth. Remove from the water bath, and whisk the remaining cold pastry cream in to incorporate in two batches.
In a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it holds medium-stiff peaks. Immediately fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.

Simple Syrup:

You may choose to flavor the syrup. One way is to use flavored sugar (for example: apple cider sugar,orange sugar, or vanilla sugar) or to stir in 1-2 teaspoons of flavored extract. You may also infuse with herbs or spices, if desired or add four tablespoons (60 ml) of fruit juice or liqueur while the syrup is cooling.

1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) (2⅔ oz/75 gm) of sugar, flavored or white
1/3 cup (2⅔ fl oz/80 ml) of water

Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. Stirring is not necessary, but will not harm the syrup.
Remove the syrup from the heat and cool slightly.
Transfer syrup to a lidded container or jar that can be stored in the refrigerator. Simple syrup can be stored for up to one month.

Fraisier Assembly:

1 baked 8 inch (20 cm) chiffon cake
1 recipe pastry cream filling
⅓ cup (80 ml) simple syrup or flavored syrup
2 lbs (900 g) strawberries
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
½ cup (120 ml) (5 oz/140 gm) almond paste

Line the sides of a 8-inch (20 cm) spring form pan with plastic wrap. Do not line the bottom of the pan.
Cut the cake in half horizontally to form two layers.
Fit the bottom layer into the prepared spring form pan. Moisten the layer evenly with the simple syrup. When the cake has absorbed enough syrup to resemble a squishy sponge, you have enough.
Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to arrange around the sides of the cake pan. Place the cut side of the strawberry against the sides of the pan, point side up forming a ring.
Pipe cream in-between strawberries and a thin layer across the top of the cake.
Hull and quarter your remaining strawberries and place them in the middle of the cake. Cover the strawberries and entirely with the all but 1 tbsp. (15 ml) of the pastry cream.
Place the second cake layer on top and moisten with the simple syrup.
Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners' sugar and roll out the almond paste to a 10-inch (25 cm) round 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pastry cream on the top of the cake and cover with the round of almond paste.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To serve release the sides of the spring form pan and peel away the plastic wrap.
Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Blueberry Galettes

2012-11-15T10:41:00.000-05:00

Ever get ideas stuck in your head? I had this idea to make galettes. I made them. The crust was awful. I made them again. The crust was fair. I made them yet again. My cursing was abominable.

Try and try and try again, I finally found one recipe with a galette crust that was amazing. It's a shame that when you read the instructions all you can think is "oh that's never gonna work." Not to mention the snide taunts of my friends asking me how my mental health is doing as I slam frozen butter with a rolling pin. Over, and over, and over again.

It's most likely for the best, as the anger I had boiling up from my previous failure spurred the aggressive attack on the butter. It's like that little book on happiness I read said, failure and disappointing force us to change things. Light bulbs never would have been in invented if everyone was content with candles. Pastry chefs never would have become artisans if everyone was happy with cupcakes (Slam! I'm over cupcakes. Make it stop).

Thank heaven for pastry chefs and all they do for us. Cheers.

Blueberry Galettes

1 cup unsalted butter, very cold
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups blueberries
Granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

To make the dough, cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and put them in the freezer. Measure the water, dissolve the salt into it and put into the freezer as well. Chill both for about 10 minutes.

Measure the flour onto a large, flat work surface and spread into a rectangle about 1cm thick. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour and toss a little flour over the butter so that your rolling pin won’t stick, and begin rolling. When the butter starts flattening out into long, thin pieces, use a bench scraper to scoop up the sides of the rectangle so that it is the size that you started with. Repeat the rolling and scraping 3 or 4 times.

Make a well in the center and pour all of the water into it. Using the bench scraper, scoop the sides of the dough into the center, cutting the water through the dough. Keep scraping and cutting until the dough is a shaggy mass and shape into a rectangle.

Lightly dust the top with flour and roll out the rectangle until it is half as large again, then scrape the top, bottom and sides together to the original size and re-roll. Repeat 3 or 4 times until you have a smooth and cohesive dough. Transfer rectangle of dough to a large baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.

When you are ready to roll the dough, divide it into 6 equal portions for small ones. Roll the dough into circle shapes by rolling from the center to each end, not flattening the end points. Turn the pastry so the flattened out corners are at the top and bottom. Again, roll from the center towards the points nearest and farthest to you, stopping short of the top and bottom. Roll the thicker areas and you will begin to see a circle forming. Transfer to baking sheets and chill for 10 minutes.

Fill the center of each dough circle with fruit, leaving a one inche edge. Taste the fruit for sweetness and determine how much sugar you want to use to sweeten it. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, typically 1-2 teaspoons. Fold in the sides of the circle to cover the fruit partially. Chill for another 10 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375ºF. To make the egg wash, whisk egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Crush the egg wash over the pastry edges and then sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake the galettes until the crust has visibly puffed and baked to dark brown and the juice from the fruit is bubbling inside – 40-50 minute. Rotate the baking sheets at the midway point to ensure even baking. Remove from the oven and serve hot or at room temperature.

Iced Shortbread

2012-10-31T12:10:00.000-04:00

Dearests,

I realize it has been a long, long, long time. Truth be told I've been mulling over making many changes to this site, and during my mulling I haven't done as much baking.

In the coming weeks, there will be changes. New looks, new feeds, new topics, and new directions, and yes, new desserts. My creativity is no longer satiated by cake alone.

Onwards and upwards we go. Sorry friends, but no spoilers just yet. You'll see soon this wait is worthwhile. :)

Some things never change. I wouldn't dare sign off without leaving you with a little bitty recipe and treat. Do you like shortbread? I do. It's the simplest of all cookies. When I'm feeling incredibly lazy, but I want a treat (and really, don't you always want a treat when you feel lazy?) it's my go to recipe.

You may notice that powdered sugar and cake flour are not the norm. I've recently tried to find a way to make the shortbread a bit more dainty, and I think these two changes make a big difference. The dough is so soft and lush that it can be difficult to roll out. I recommend putting it in the refrigerator to chill before attempting to roll, and even once cut, having a second chilling time won't hurt.

Cheers!

Shortbread

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Stir in vanilla; add flours and mix well.

Shape dough into a disc, wrap in wax paper and allow to rest in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a floured surface to roughly an 1/8th inch thick. Cut the dough, and place cookies onto a lined baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator for another half hour.

Remove from fridge and bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to a cooling rack.

Allow to cool before icing.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water or milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract (preferably clear vanilla extract)
food coloring (if desired)

Mix ingredients together. Add more sugar or liquid until the consistency you desire is acquired Lightly set the cookie top-side-down on the icing. Gently remove and allow excess to drip off. If necessary, use a knife to gently push the icing to the sides of the cookie.

Return the iced cookie to the cooling rack and allow icing to set for roughly an hour.

Birthdays

2012-09-13T16:32:00.002-04:00

made with chocolate buttercream and a double recipe of chocolate glaze drizzled on top

As a kid, one thing for me was do or die: my birthday. I'd start pouring over Wilton cake magazines in June. I remember being so excited for cakes of Ducktails, or Ariel, or Care Bears and My Little Pony. Throw in streamers, a pinata, a few balloons, a playground and we had a party!

Nowadays, the idea of birthday parties is a little more intense. Gone are the days where all I really had to do was pick out cake, tell my mom, and by magic the rest would appear (Thank you Mama!). Now I am in charge of making things happen! Yikes!

My theory with all parties, birthday or not, is simple: you tell me what you want. I try my bestest to make that happen. You want lazertag? Done. You want dinosaur cake? Easy. Oh, you meant a ice cream cake shaped like a dinosaur? Well.....challenge accepted! (Those are all Brandon, my fiance, btws).

Over the years I've realized a thing or two about which parties were more successful than others:

Ask questions. Just like adults, kids know what they want. Just ask!
Stick to the theme. Be it Dinosaurs or Carousels, sticking to theme makes the party feel cohesive.
Keep it small. It's easier to pull off an amazing party for 15 than it is for 30.
Keep the kids busy, but also have a place where kids can play unstructured, such as a jungle gym. Not everyone want to finger paint or make balloon animals, and those kids will need a place to be where they won't ruin it for the rest.
Have a plan b. Rain happens. Make sure a few activities can be indoor activities if need be.
Location, location, location. It's not just for real estate. Picking a place that fits your theme can do wonders for a party. If your kid wants a hockey party, take them to the ice rink.
Have other traditions. Forcing a 12 year old to attend his 5 year old brother's party won't be fun for either of them. Have a family tradition where you celebrate together at another time.
Have favors. Kids can get jealous when the birthday child gets tons of gifts. Have a party favor for each child to help stem off jealousy.
Remember the adults: Odds are some parents will stay for the party. Make sure you have refreshments and activities for them as well.
Have good cake. A pretty cake. It's a focal point. It's going to be in pictures for the rest of your life. Have a good cake.

Why is this on my brain? Taking up space where wedding planning would be?

Well, none of kid sized kids have birthdays right now, but I have a birthday coming up! Three weeks to go! And what's the plan? A carousel full of ponies, cotton candy, carnival games, and a giant chocolate cake. I'm not much for the growing up stuff. :) That is exactly what I loved and adored as a little girl, and still do! Happy birthday to my four year old self!

Luckily, I live near the BEAUTIFUL Dentzel Carousel! Ponies? Oh check and check! Just a short drive to Glen Echo Park and we've got a great location! It's perfect!

And, a quick trip before hand to DC-3, a local restaurant that specializes in exactly what I want: hot dogs, chili cheese fries, vintage sodas, and lots and lots and lots of cotton candy!

After that, just a few more things to do, that huge chocolate cake up top and a batch of very cute happy birthday graphic cookies. I decided to amp up the cookies a bit by making them into little cookie sandwiches filled with a yummy vanilla filling!

provided to me as part of the DailyFood Buzz Tastemaker program

We had some great food, AND I created a quick and cheap carnival game!

Admit it, at least a few of you love your Starbucks. I live in DC. It's on every block. I've seen the proof. Well those little bottles that Frappacinos come in are mighty like a milk bottle wouldn't you say? A quick spray of mettalic paint and we have ourselves a milk bottle toss! Easy upcycle!

Our little trial run went well! What did I learn? Chili cheese fries do not travel well. They got smushed. :( Next time, we don't put them on the bottom!

cheers!

This post is brought to you by Nestle Toll House Birthday Sugar Cookies. Bake some birthday love.

Henna Cookies

2012-08-15T11:59:00.000-04:00

I actually started out this post hoping to make Lace Cookies. My idea was to use food coloring as paint, apply over lace and create a lacy pattern on top of fondant. I failed at this. Badly. As you can see by the cookie in the lower right hand corner. Consider this your cooking Rorschach Test of the day. What do you see when you look at the cookie blots?

I saw the opportunity to do something else in the face of grim failure. Instead I used intricate stamps, pressed them into the fondant (as I have before) but this time I used the food coloring to blot the tops of the cookies et voila! We have wedding henna cookies!

I adore henna. It's intricate, delicate, and so deeply touching. When I see beautiful pictures of this lovely tradition, I truly curse internally that I was born a little white girl, and as I peruse wedding blogs I fall increasingly in love with the bright warm colors and intricate patterns of Indian weddings.

*Sigh.* Curse.* Soooo pretty (and so jealous).

Making these cookies is wonderfully simple. Truly. Stamp. Cut. Blot. Done. That's my kind of cookie!

Cheers!

How to decorate a Henna Cookie:

bake cookies (see recipe below)
make marshmallow fondant (also see recipe below)
Roll out fondant to desired thickness.
Press with any design of rubber stamp. Cut the fondant using same cookie cutter as was used for the cookies.
Adhere fondant to tops of cookies using corn syrup as a glue on the underside of the fondant to help it stick.
Mix desired food coloring. (If using a liquid you're good to go! If using a paste, add a bit of water or liquid white food dye)
Using a clean sponge (I used these) sop up some food dye and blot gently.

Basic Sugar Cookies

½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1 cup Confectioners Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp Vanilla Extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Cream together the butter (I do not allow butter to soften), sugar and any flavorings you’re using. Beat until just becoming creamy in texture. Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms. Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.

Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5 mm. Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.

Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife. Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.

Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.

Leave to cool on cooling racks. Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.

Marshmallow Fondant

1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows

4 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 pounds confectioners' sugar, divided

Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows. Carefully put the melted marshmallows into a greased stand mixer and stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Reserve 1 cup of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff.

Coat your hands with powdered sugar and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners' sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch.

Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. To use, allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Bananas Foster Bundt Cake

2012-07-20T10:15:00.000-04:00

I had this astounding idea. I was going to set out to make a Janafied version of each of the treats in this little Martha Stewart photo. I thought I'd get a jump start on creating recipes for foods I would want at my bridal shower. I love the simplicity of this all white dessert table. I truly meant to make a white bundt cake with white frosting. I did....until I went to the grocery store hungry.

It was a bad move on my part. We all know how it ends. You walk in with the munchies and intent to buy salmon, lemons and rosemary but walk out with Doritos, HoHos, and a Dr. Pepper. It happens to us all. In the blink of an eye my sweet, petite all white bundt cakes lightly flavored with lavender and vanilla became deep, rich, butter, sugar, rum filled bananas foster bundt cakes. It all went downhill as I stood in front of the pudding mixes. I was no match for the banana pudding.

Thank. Heaven. Hallelujah. Best. Fail. Ever.

I am extremely grateful to my munchies. This recipe was pulled together on a whim, mid shopping spree and couldn't have turned out better. Its ooey, gooey, warm, buttery, and (for you Dorsey) filled with the rummy goodness of a bananas foster sauce.

Personally, I recommend solely making individual size bundt cakes. I made a large cake too, but in my opinion the small bundt cakes, which can be fully immersed into the sauce, are far superior. I quite literally set each cake in the sauce, waited a bit then flipped them over and letting the tops soak up the goodness. Plated, served, and went back for seconds....and thirds...and then banished them to my fiance's office.

Well played, Munchies. Well played. I tip my hat to you, Mr. Banana Pudding. I was not your equal.

Bananas Foster Bundt Cake

For the bundt cake:

1 18.5-ounce package white or butter cake mix
1 3.4-ounce package instant banana pudding mix (again, well played, Sir)
4 large eggs
1 cup milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the glaze:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup banana flavored rum
¼ cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 10- to 12-cup Bundt pan or two mini bundt pant sheets; dust with flour.

Stir cake mix and pudding mix in large bowl to blend. Beat in eggs, then milk, rum, and oil. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 15 minutes for mini bundt cakes and 50 minutes for a large bundt cake. Set pan with cake(s) on rack while preparing glaze.

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the rums. Continue to cook the sauce until simmering. Turn heat to low.

Generously soak each mini bundt cake or spoon warm sauce over the top of a large bundt cake. For mini bundt cakes place top down into the sauce then flip after 20 seconds or so. Let sit in sauce bottoms down for another 20 seconds before removing with a slotted spatula.

Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.

Enjoy!

I'm engaged! and other announcements!

2012-07-09T10:26:00.002-04:00

Story time!

Thursday my boyfriend says "Hey, let's go to the arboretum Saturday morning. We haven't gone in a long time." I think he's nuts because Saturday will be the hottest day of the year, record breaking heat, and for that matter, he's not a wake-up-early-on-a-Saturday-morning kinda guy. And I am really not a wake up early kinda girl.

Friday night he says "Okays, is 9:20! Time for bed!" And I'm like "Who are you and what have you done with Brandon?" Four hours of a Man v. Food marathon later, he gets a phone call from a co-worker and says he needs to head to the office, and thus convinces me it's time to go to sleep, and he reminds me about the arboretum in the morning. I scrunch up my nose. And he says "It's water lily season! You love the waterlilies! They're night blooming so you have to go early." I begrudgingly agree, scrunched nose and all.

Saturday morning he's making every attempt to coax me to get up. He reminds me of the waterlilies. I don't like them as much at 7 am. He bribes me with chocolate. Meh. Then he goes in for the kill: Cheese. I decide to get up for cheese.

As we're driving to NE my foggy little brain is thinking "Why are we going to the arboretum to look at water lilies? Shouldn't we be going to the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens?" But I'm tired and so I roll with it.

We get there. I see the lilies next to the welcome center, look at little baby duckies and incredibly hungry koi fish and say, "aw, so cute honey. thanks for bringing me" and he says "oh, can we go over to the frog pond too?" So we walk the quarter mile to the azalea gardens where a sweet little pond full of frogs and water lilies is nestled.

As we're walking along the trail I see tons and tons of these little frog gummy candies. I jokingly ask him if this is a Hanzel and Gretel situation, but when we get to the pond I see big bags of the candies with notes attached talking about how special that frog pond is to somebody and that they just wanted to share. I think, oh that is darling. So cute. It's so sweet somebody would do that.

We sit on a bench and Brandon gives me my promised chocolates (a TCHO nutty 20, Voges bacon bar, Fleurir Northwest Bar, and a Kingsbury lavender pistachio) and three lovely strong cheeses hand wrapped from Cheestique and says "I also have a baby sloth for you"

I have a small baby sloth meltdown. It's a puppet baby sloth, a stuffed animal, but I just died that he'd even found one. Then he throws a frog stuffed animal at me.

And at this point I realize something is up. I had suspected. But now I know. He's joked about throwing a frog at me before.....

He pulled out a letter, beautifully written, incredibly sweet. Then asks if I want to go over and look at the water lilies.

As I'm standing out on a little rock in the pond, he kneels down on the rock and says "Jana, will you..." and I interrupt him completely by saying "mmm hmmm! mmm hmmm! mmm hmmm!" and nodding my head vigorously. He finishes his sentence, and I regain my ability to speak, says yes, and we hug and kiss.

Then he says, "Oh, can you look that way? Butchie is over there with a camera and she'd like to get to picture."

And I am shocked. We have pictures of the whole thing!

Then he says, " Oh, and Frank and Sue are just up there!"

And I am shocked. Our best friends are both here!

And he says, "Oh, and you should say hi."

And I am shocked. I turn around and my friend Kim, who lives in NYC is standing right there! He imported Kim! and she brought Laduree macarons! I have a fiancee, a beautiful ring, my best friends, a baby sloth and macarons! How can this get better?

And Sue says "Let's go to brunch!"

And I am shocked. When we get to Liberty Tavern 25 of our friends are there and we have an amazing brunch sharing all the good news with them. They aren't shocked. He asked them to go to brunch three weeks before! All my friends have known/suspected for three weeks! Not a one of them saying anything! And that co-worker phone call...yep. He left to pick up Kim at Union Station. He had our best friends hiding and snapping pictures from the bushes!

Well played, Mr. Lee. Well played. You have one happy fiancee.

As for other announcements.........

Ms. Warm Vanilla Sugar, you have won the cookie dough cook book. I'll be in touch. :)

Also, don't be surprised if you start seeing lots of cute wedding and bridal shower foods in my coming posts. :) he he he. I'm engaged! Yay!

Lots of love this Monday morning,

Jana

Oatmeal Cookie & Cinnamon Ice Cream

2012-06-05T16:02:00.000-04:00

Well, well, well. What do we have here? Could it be a knock off of one of the all time best ice cream flavors ever? Why, yes. Yes it can.

Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough nestled in yummy cinnamon ice cream. Just the latest best thing ever to come out of my (read: my boyfriend's) kitchen. I'm in love...with the boyfriend, Ben, and Jerry. It's complicated, but hopefully you like it to because it's my little entry for:

Dun, duh duh DUUUHHHH! The Cookie Dough-lympics! It's a fabulous little cookie dough themed round up (and contest, cough cough, love me!) all using Lindsay Landis’s egg-free cookie dough from her up-and-coming The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook.

Nice Right? Don't you just want that cook book? Good news. I'm gonna give one away!

The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook Giveaway!

This one is pretty simple. You have two ways to enter:

Pinterest: Pin the above photo of the book with the caption: AWESOME! @Cherryteacakes is giving away a free copy of The Cookie Dough Lover's cookbook! Re-pin to enter! See http://bit.ly/L1czTx for rules!
Twitter: Can you guess what you tweet? : AWESOME! @Cherryteacakes is giving away a free copy of The Cookie Dough Lover's cookbook! Re-tweet to enter! See http://bit.ly/L1czTx for rules!

BUT there are some rules.

You must be a follower. On pinterest you can follow my cherry tea cakes board and on twitter you can follow @cherryteacakes. Easy Enough?
You must live in the USA. Yep. I'm being like that. International post is expensive and we're not for profit around here! Sorry!
Contest ends: June 25th 2012. Coincidentally, the same day the Cookie Dough-lympics end!

There is good news for those who do not enter! Well, and everybody really. There are TONS of cookie dough recipes coming as part of this! Lookie for a cookie dough related post on these days at these sites!

6/1: AwakeAtTheWhisk.com
6/4: Bakeorbreak.com
6/5: Queensnotebook.com
6/6: Cherryteacakes.com
6/7: ForgivingMartha.com
6/8: EndlessSimmer.com
6/11: The-baker-chick.com
6/12: BigGirlsSmallKitchen.com
6/13: RaspberryEggplant.blogspot.com
6/14: Erinfoodfiles.com
6/15: Fieldsofcake.com
6/18: Neverhomemaker.com
6/19: BakersRoyale.com
6/20: Wearenotmartha.com
6/21: ConfessionsofaRecipeJunkie.com
6/22: Icancookthat.org

Stay tuned to Quirk Books, @EndlessSimmer, and @QuirkBooks to view the recipes each day!

And without further ado,

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Cinnamon Ice Cream

2 egg yolks
3/4 cups brown sugar
3 cups half and half
1 tsp. Vietnamese cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
frozen oatmeal cookie dough bits (see recipe below)

Scald one cup of half and half over medium heat in a medium sauce pan. Remove from heat.

In a stand mixer whisk together the yolks, cinnamon and brown sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually pour the scalded half and half down the side of the bowl as the mixer is on a low speed.

Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of the spoon . Remove from heat, and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Add in the remaining half and half, and vanilla. Chill the custard thoroughly. About two hours.

Transfer the custard mixture to an ice cream maker. Allow the ice cream to churn until finished, adding oatmeal cookie dough bits at the last minute and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

from Lindsay Landis’s The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook

1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Mix in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Turn dough out onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Folding paper over, or using a second sheet of parchment paper, cover the dough. Using a rolling pin roll out dough until roughly a quarter inch thick. Transfer to freezer for roughly two hours.

Cut into inch size pieces, and store in suitable freezing container until the ice cream is ready.

Enjoy!

Pretzel Drumstick Ice Cream Cake

2012-05-24T11:43:00.000-04:00

made with Nestle Pretzel Cone Drumsticks, Brownies, Caramel and Pretzels

Summer has made it to D.C. ....well, my definition of summer. My friends keep insisting it's only Spring but once I see my boyfriend melt into a puddle I know Summer has begun.

When I moved to DC I was very enamored by this idea that in the Summer people go to pick berries. Growing up in Arizona, a state where the plants are set to kill you, the idea of a sweet little strawberry just sitting in the sunshine was enticing. Now I go every year. Perhaps you recall such tales from when I went blackberry and blueberry picking, or cherry picking. I have fallen madly in love with Butler's Orchard, a little farm outside of Washington, DC. Summer for Brandon may start with melting into a puddle, but for me Summer is when I finally make it out berry picking!

my spoils from strawberry picking!

I planned out the perfect day for Saturday: Pennsylvania Dutch Market and Strawberry Picking! Tis the season after all! Now, I didn't take photos at the market....pretty sure that's a no no, BUT, I did take pictures of some of the foods I scored for my strawberry picking picnic! Those beautiful sandwiches are made on bread so fresh it was still warm when I cut it! On the left, we have my personal favorite made with Gorgonzola, pepper turkey, and strawberries on warm soft freshly baked bread. On the right we have Brie, strawberries, basil, and pepper turkey. Amazing!

As if the sandwiches weren't good enough, I of course picked up every kind of potato salad I saw: German, red, and yellow. I love love LOVED the German potato salad. I truly did. It had bacon? What was not to love?!

if you are wondering, all the plates and cups came from Anthropologie

I also made us up some lemonade and brought a few fixing to please the crowd. I highly recommend trying basil in your lemonade. Ever since I made lemon basil soda I can't leave the combination alone. I love the peppery kick it adds. If you're more of a traditionalist, perhaps adding pomegranate schnapps or watermelon liqueur will be more your style. Just add 50ml to a cup of lemonade and you've got yourself a nice little cocktail!

TIP: Summer calls for lemonade in a hurry. I keep frozen lemon juice ice cubes in the freezer, and a jar of simple syrup at the ready. Voila! Instant homemade lemonade! Throw a few lemon juice cubes in a glass, add simple syrup and water!

After a LONG day in the beautiful summer sun walking around strawberry fields, picking over a Pennsylvania Dutch Market, and picnicking in the beautiful fields of Butler's Orchard we needed a cold treat: Pretzel Drumstick Ice Cream Cake! It's a little sweet, a little salty, a bit of crunch and super easy. Perhaps you noticed that luscious cake up top? If not it's posted below, yet again. It was a great centerpiece for sitting around and talking about our lovely excursion!

Making a Drumstick Cake was super fun! I got the idea to do it as an adaptation from an ice cream sandwich cake I saw on RealSimple.com. I had thought I'd have a rough time cutting the cones in half to create the scalloped look. NOPE! It was easy and really a great use for fancying up a Drumstick into a pretty ice cream cake!

My day was perfect. The sun was gorgeous, the strawberries ripe, the bread freshly baked, the boyfriend remained solidified despite the heat, and the ice cream cake was rich. Absolutely wonderful. I hope all of you get to enjoy the same. If not the strawberries and sunshine, at least the cake!

Enjoy!

Pretzel Drumstick Ice Cream Cake
Full disclosure: Nestlé has provided me with free product and other items in order to help with my review, but anything I receive from Nestle does not affect my thoughts on its company or their products.

1 box of Nestle Pretzel Cone Drumsticks
1 box mix for brownies, plus the eggs and oil it asks for (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate mix)
1 cup caramel sauce
1 cup of pretzels

Bake brownies according to box instruction in an 8 inch round pan. Remove from pan and allow to cool. Cut brownies into a top and bottom layer. Line another 8 inch pan with plastic wrap, covering the bottom and sides. Place bottom layer in to pan. Set top layer aside.

Cut the ice cream tops off of the Drumsticks. Set aside. Cut each drumstick in half and place ice cream side down on top of the brownie. Repeat with remaining Drumsticks.

Take the ice cream tops of the Drumsticks and smash together to create a chunky ice cream. Layer this over top of the Drumstick Cones.

Crumble top half of the brownies over top. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the freezer for 4-6 hours.

When ready to serve remove the cake from the pan and top with caramel sauce and pretzels.

Plum Pie

2012-04-09T11:17:00.000-04:00

Few things about this weekend went according to plan. Brandon and I were supposed to leave Friday morning for Colonial Williamsburg....but then he had to work. So we pushed it to Saturday...and he still had to work. Then we thought we'd do a small day trip on Easter...and he still had work to do. We tried to take a couple hour detour to enjoy the good weather, but in short there was no parking in the arboretum, the tire swing of legend has fallen down, and all the planes were rerouted as to not fly over Gravely Point Park. We failed miserably. Even when I consoled myself that this was all fine and went to the store to buy flowers I'd been wanting for six months every. single. store. was. sold. out. I spent the rest of the weekend defeated, wrapped in big fluffy blankets, watching Despicable Me and wishing I had a freeze ray gun. I'd use that.

Since we had planned to be traveling I didn't worry about things like rolls, ham, potato salad and a tray of vegetables filled with olives for me to eat....or put on my fingers. In the wake of all this failure, with a complete lack of Easter foods I worked with what Brandon had in his kitchen: plums.

I have to say it amazes me how most fruit pies really are the exact same process. I tossed the recipe and followed my Grandma's process for making apple pie. No real measurements, no real plan, but with how this weekend went, planning probably wasn't a good idea anyway.

But you're not me. You probably executed a lovely Easter meal, had a lovely trip, enjoyed the park and planning seems to be working out beautifully for you. Congratulations. Happy Easter. For you I have put together what is my best guess for what to do for this recipe. I'm sure it will work out splendidly for you. If it did for me, it can for anyone.

Plum Pie

2 pie crusts, ready made or from your favorite recipe
3 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar
3 tsp. Chinese five spice powder (cassia cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves)

1/4 tsp. vanilla powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 pounds plums, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 wedges

Preheat to 375°F.

Transfer one pie crust to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Sprinkle one tablespoon of corn starch on the bottom of the crust. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

Mix sugar, Chinese five spice powder, and vanilla powder together in a bowl. Add plums and toss to coat. Spoon half the filling into crust and sprinkle with second tablespoon of cornstarch. Fill with remaining fruit, mounding slightly in center.

Drape top crust over filling; trim overhang to 1 inch. Press top and bottom crust edges together. Fold edges under; crimp edges with a fork. Cut slits in center of top crust to allow steam to escape.

Position rack in center of oven; Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch any spills.

Bake pie 30 minutes. Tent pie loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake until filling bubbles thickly through slits, about 1 hour longer. Cool completely on rack.

Kitchenless Cooking & Savory Waffles!

2012-03-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Ever cooked without a kitchen? Other than camping? Yes, I sound crazy. Sure it seems odd. Why cook without a kitchen? Cooking belongs in the kitchen. It's a room solely dedicated to that task. If someone asked you what you do in the kitchen, your answer wouldn't be playing the piano, underwater basket weaving, oil painting, or reading a good book. A kitchen is for cooking. Pure and simple.

For the last few months, I and my coworker have been commiserating over our home repairs. Neither of us has a fully functional kitchen. His is due to doorways so small appliances don't really fit through (the downside to buying a 1700s stone manor. don't you feel just so sorry for him and his large estate on the creek with all the wild blackberries growing? yeah, me neither) and mine becasue........well......... see that photo there? Yep.

See the problem? Cooking is just not going to be happening in there anytime soon. I asked my coworker how he's managed and I've been mulling his answer over ever since. It turns out with all the mini modern day appliances, I can cook just about anything without an actual kitchen. So........I did!

This is a kitchenless post!

Sure, it all revolves around savory waffles, but sue me. Waffles. Are. Awesome....and easy. But hey, I made sauces, fried chicken, and chili all without a proper kitchen!!! Just saying, if you have a kitchen remodel in the works but still want to cook, I can help you out.

But before that........I want a little pat on the back for just how much better my house is looking. Yep. I'm pathetic and I love praise. I do. Praise away.

living room!

foyer

bedroom

Nice right? But none of this solves the problem of my kitchen. But with a few small "appliances" you can make a meal anywhere.

crock pot
toaster oven
kitchen-aide
a single burner

If you just take a walk through a Target you realize how many small appliances are made to replace tasks you'd usually do on a stove top or in an oven! I like it! Add to that list a skillet, and a deep frier, a microwave and a dorm fridge and you've a kitchen on a small scale! It means I can cook in my home without my kitchen! To prove it, I made three savory waffle dishes today. I and a few friends are now STUFFED full of food made in the dining room!

First up, waffle sandwiches! The big problem of the kitchenless kitchen is that baking bread in a toaster oven is not so easy. Possible, I did it in college, but not easy. I went to a restaurant a few years ago that used waffles instead of bread! GENIUS! Add in some roast beef, harvati, and tangy horseradish mustard and I'm in love! You can make any sandwich on a waffle! I recommend it.

Roast Beef Sandwiches

buttermilk waffles (see recipe below)
roast beef
harvati cheese
horseradish mustard

Cut waffles in half to create two slices. Put roast beef and cheese on a cooking container. Broil in the oven (or toaster oven!) until cheese is melted. Spread mustard on top slice and assemble sandwich!

These mini waffles were made with this waffle iron. They are bite size and absolutely adorable. These sandwiches would make a lovely appetizer.

Buttermilk Waffles

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.

Cook per the instructions of your specific waffle iron.

Southern Style Croque Monsieur

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup whole milk

pinch of ground nutmeg

1 bay leaf

4 corn waffles (see recipe below)

4 pieces of fried chicken (i used this recipe, but used thinly sliced chicken breast, and used a single burner!)

4 ounces cabot sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated cabot sharp cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir, forming a slurry. Gradually whisk in milk. Add nutmeg and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high heat and boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut waffles into slices. On the bottom slice place a strip of fried chicken, cover with cheese. Place top slice of waffle on top. Top with sauce and grated cheese. Broil in oven (or toaster oven!) until cheese is browned.

Corn Bread Waffles

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl mix the wet ingredients. Combine the two and mix until smooth.

Cook according to your waffle iron maker's instructions.

Crock Pot Chili and Corn Bread Waffles

2 pounds ground beef
1 16 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper

to garnish
shredded Cheddar cheese

sour cream

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients excepting garnishes . Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.

Serve atop of cornbread waffles (see recipe above). Garnish individual servings with cheese and sour cream if desired.

Parmesan Rosemary Gougères

2012-03-05T10:36:00.002-05:00

Dear Boyfriend (and readers),

I haven't posted in a week. I am so sorry. I have deprived you, my dear boyfriend and self appointed editor, of 10 minutes of procrastination during work. How careless could I be to leave you with only thousands of internet videos, tablets with video games, and endless hours of facebook for your procrastination fix.

I realize I have broken a small piece of your heart. It's only a small irony that you can't even take out this anguish on my yummy freshly baked treats. My heart feels for you. It truly does. I can only think that you must be whimpering in your high rise office building, looking forlornly out your office window, towards Dupont and wondering how I could have abandoned your need to correct my spelling and punctuation so.

4 u them i gid dis bad bad bad bad bad sentance. meigh u procrasstenate in piece,, and no dat i wuv yous.

xoxo-

jana

ps. dear readers, if I know brandon, he will be harrumphing for a while and not fix that sentence for a long, long while. Since that will be the case, please assume all other typos were also on purpose. ;)

pps. Enjoy these little treats. I love a good cheese puff now and then. Don't you?

Parmesan Rosemary Gougères

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Large pinch of kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. rosemary, plus more for sprinkling
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter, and salt to a boil. Add the flour, stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and dries out a bit. Roughly two minutes.

Turn the dough out into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one. Add the Parmesan cheese, rosemary and pepper.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a half inch tip (or a disposable bag with the tip cut off) and pipe tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets at least two inches apart.

Sprinkle with cheese and additional rosemary. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm or room temperature.

The gougères can be frozen or refrigerated. To reheat, cook in an 350 degree oven for at least five minutes, or until piping hot and crisped.

Chocolate Stripe Cookies

2012-02-21T10:47:00.000-05:00

Last year, Butchie and I made these cookies à la glass shards. Yep. Plastic wrap is important.

Needless to say, the pictures were not the best. The cookies were not the best and in general this needed a do over.

So..........here it is!

These cookies happen to be my favorites. They are subtle, simple, adorable, and in my opinion taste best frozen. The stripes are easy to make. I'm a bit of a perfectionist (shocker) and my little trick to make the lines beautifully straight is to put plastic wrap over the top of each layer of dough and smooth it a second time. The plastic wrap will help you get rid of any fingerprints and dips in each layer of dough. It's not necessary. The cookies will be very cute either way, but if straight lines matter to you, try my trick.

Oh, and if you're not a fan of rum flavoring (I am) I'd try almond, raspberry, or peppermint!

Enjoy!

Chocolate Stripes

adapted from Chocolate Ribbon Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 teaspoon rum flavoring
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in the egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour.

Divide dough in half. Knead the melted chocolate into half of the dough. Knead the rum flavoring and mini chocolate chips into the other half of dough. Divide each portion of dough in half.

To shape dough, line the bottom and sides of a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with clear plastic wrap (DO NOT skip this). Press half of the chocolate dough evenly in pan. Top with half of the vanilla dough, the remaining chocolate dough, and the remaining vanilla dough, pressing each layer firmly and evenly over the preceding layer.

Invert pan to remove dough. Peel off plastic wrap. Slice the block of dough into 1/4-inch-thick slices. If desired use cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes, otherwise, cut the slices into thirds. Place cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake cookies in a 375 degree F. oven about 10 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.

Valentine's "Nuts About You!" Craft

2012-02-10T12:53:00.001-05:00

For Valentines last year I made some sad sad horrid little cookies that ended up breaking glass shards in them. Fail. The year before that I made some valentine's fortune cookies and ended up breaking up with the guy (okay like 8 months later but c'mon! it was good word play). This year I decided cookies were a BAD plan. They don't seem to work out for me. My valentines instead will be receiving these little packages filled with Valentines Jordon Almonds that I got from Oh Nuts. Cute eh? The tagline is: [Insert name here] I'm nuts about you because [of the reason I inserted here]. Cute? Cheesy? Adorable? All of the above.

Now, for those of you who paid close attention to the photo it calls Butchie my son. It's an inside story. If you liked reading the photo, try reading the story! ....and yes, Brandon's box says "rawr!" No it's not exactly a touching heartfelt message for your boyfriend.....but if you're boyfriend has a small obsession with T-Rex humor it's fitting. Rawr means I love you in dinosaur after all.

Now, I'm pretty sure the steps to this crafts are easy: 1. get nuts. 2. put them in a container 3. put a piece of paper on it that says "i'm nuts about you!" and done. :) If you get lost in there.....um. Well. Sorry???

I hope you all have a lovely Valentines! I'm running off to a weekend trip to Seattle! Literally running, flights in 2 hours! Woot! Sure beats fortune cookies and glass shards!

Thanks for being my readers. I giggle every time someone posts about their husband drooling over the screen, or how well a recipe turned out! I'm nuts about all of you too! Happy Valentines!

Cream Puffs

2012-02-06T12:18:00.001-05:00

We had a housewarming this weekend. My own? No. Sadly we're not ready for that yet. We warmed my boyfriend's new condo...that he bought four months after me...that I'm decidedly not at all bitter about having been "warmed" first....which I bet you do not believe....and you'd be somewhat right. I'm a tad jealous. I'd love to fill my house with friends instead of contractors. *Sigh*

The party itself was fun. Fifty friends of my boyfriend and his sister came to eat, drink, laugh, and break in the new place. The one person I invited didn't show up to warm the kitchen cabinet I was granted. (The kitchen is cold to you, Butchie. C-O-L-D. No cream puffs for you!).....actually, few cream puffs for anyone. Brandon scooped up the tray, walked off and....well... I'm not actually sure any made it into a guest's mouth......

As one of the people who did get a cream puff, I can vouch, they turned out pretty well. If you've never made choux before you should try it. I find choux pastry to be a simple 'go to' recipe you can take from start to finish in half an hour that looks far more complicated and impressive than it truly is. Not to mention all the yummy things you can do with it! Don't believe me? All of these recipes are choux pastry:

Cheddar Dill Gougères

Cochonettes

Gougère Soup Bowls

I've been having lots of fun with choux. In a few days I'll even have another choux recipe to post: rosemary parmesan gougères! and maybe another after that because now that I'm looking at these lovely foods I might need more.....and since I'll be at butchie's tonight maybe we will warm her kitchen with some eclairs. That should happen. That should always happen.

For the first -ime cream puff maker: take your time. If you have the time to make everything all at once I'd like to know your secret for time management. Please teach a seminar. I made the choux on one day, the pastry cream the next, and the assembly was on the third day...right before the party....I was a wee bit frantic but even then, for me it was easier to find half an hour or so each day, than two hours all together. I bet you know the feeling.

Without further ado, I present:

Cream Puffs

for the choux:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
Large pinch of kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

for the pastry cream:

1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

for the chocolate glaze:
1 cup semisweet chocoalte chips
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the choux:

Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Line two heavy baking sheets with parchment paper. (If you're pans are too light, stack them. This will reduce the chance of scorching on the bottom of the puff).

In a small saucepan, bring the water, milk, butter, and salt to a boil. Add the flour and stir until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and dries out a bit. Roughly two minutes.

Turn the dough out into a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one.

Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a half inch tip (or a disposable bag with the tip cut off) and pipe tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets at least two inches apart.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

The puffs can be frozen or refrigerated. To reheat, cook in an 350 degree oven for at least five minutes, or until piping hot and crisped.

To make the pastry cream:

Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and scald, bringing it to a near boiling point. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer add the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to combine.

Add the eggs to the sugar and cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

When the milk is ready, gently and slowly while the stand mixer is whisking, pour the heated milk down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture.

Pour the mixture back into the warm pot and continue to cook over a medium heat until the custard is thick, just about to boil and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for ten minutes stirring occasionally.

Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream a piece at a time until smooth.

Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Assembly:

Put pastry cream into a pastry bag with a sharp end that will be able to pierce through the top of a choux pastry puff. I used a disposable plastic pastry bag.

Pierce into top of each pastry puff with the tip of the pastry bag and squeeze bag, thus filling the puff with pastry cream. You should see the puff slighly expand as it becomes full.

Place filled puffs aside on a tray and continue to fill each pastry puff.

Once all puffs are finished, place tray of puffs into the freezer. This allows the cream to freeze slightly so that it will not leak into the chocolate glaze while dipping.

Make the chocolate glaze:

In a bowl combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each time until smooth. Do not overcook.

Dip the top of each cream puff in the chocolate glaze, covering the hole made for the cream filling. Place right side up on a tray. Return trays of dipped puffs to the freezer for the chocolate to set.

Serve immediately, or allow to freeze on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a suitable container. (I'd tell you how long they keep in the freezer, but they all are eaten within a day!)

Chocolate Pudding

2012-01-24T10:43:00.000-05:00

My boyfriend has a friend. Yes, just the one friend. He's not the most outgoing. (just kidding honey!) This particular friend (of Brandon's many friends) happened to ask a rather silly question: Does Jana's house renovation have any projects that would require unbridled destruction? Why yes! Yes, it does.

Saturday afternoon the plan went into attack. We started pulling out everything in the room I begrudgingly refer to as my kitchen. Don't be fooled. It hasn't had a working stove or fridge in five months. Nevertheless, the last remaining vestiges of the kitchen needed to be removed with unbridled destruction. He and Brandon used a bit of that reckless abandon we love about them and swung a hammer at anything and everything.Craig, aka The Hulk, literally tore a cabinet in half. LITERALLY. With. His. Bare. Hands.

Swing. Crack. Rip.........huh. "Um, Jana, how big of a deal is it that I punched a hole through your tile....and wall???"

Ummmmmmmm.

The walls of my house are plaster. 87 year old plaster. If you'd ever met a plaster wall, you know that you don't really punch a hole in them....you more of less crack the shell and see the ribbing of your home. It's solid. No room for holes. Hearing that a hole had been punched in my wall confused me. It's just not possible! I scramble through the wreckage, climb up a few feet to survey the damage.

It's a fake wall! ....well, it's a real wall.....it's more of a wall with another wall inside of it. It's the inception wall. Our minds ran wild. There could be drugs, cash, jewels, or.....dead things.... inside of this fake wall! Nobody would put a wall on top of a wall for no amazing reason, RIGHT?!

cough. cough. sigh. wrong.

We tore the whole thing down and it was the medium for adding two electrical plugs into the kitchen. WHY DO THAT?! Gah. Frustrating. SO frustrating. I was truly hoping for cash. It would have paid for the remodel. On the plus side, I can't tell you how happy I am not to find anything dead. Such a bonus.

With the kitchen destroyed we moved onto the drop ceiling in my sun room. It's just like the ones you used to get pencils stuck in during junior high. They had installed them in every room of the first floor. I have taken them down, one at a time, each and every one with a small bit of calamity. This one came down, with a small crash.....and a slight injury to my boyfriend....who I might have asked to stand underneath it. And he thinks I'm trying to kill him. Psht. Where would he get that idea? Okay, okay, so I asked him to help brace the ceiling from falling. but it still fell, pretty loudly, and sharply, and on his arm.

Well, as luck would have it, irony was with us that day. Because above the drop ceiling, was......dun duh duh DUUUUH: Another drop ceiling. Not kidding you. I have a kitchen you can peel like an onion and a sunroom with four ceilings.....one of which is made of asbestos. Score!

With my weekend over and my kitchen destroyed, I am left to sit back and contemplate just how useful a good contractor can be....but doing so while I'm at Brandon's house....using his working kitchen..... eating chocolate pudding....and breathing asbestos-free air.

Chocolate Pudding
From Smitten Kitchen, as adapted from John Scharffenberger, via Wednesday Chef
Serves 6

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces 62% semisweet chocolate chopped or chocolate chips
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the cornstarch, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler. Slowly whisk in the milk, scraping the bottom and sides with a heatproof spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients. Place over gently simmering water and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides. Use a whisk as necessary should lumps begin to form. After 15 to 20 minutes, when the mixture begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon, add the chocolate. Continue stirring for about 2 to 4 minutes, or until the pudding is smooth and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a serving bowl or into a large measuring cup with a spout and pour into individual serving dishes.

If you like pudding skin, pull plastic wrap over the top of the serving dish(es) before refrigerating. If you dislike pudding skin, place plastic wrap on top of the pudding and smooth it gently against the surface before refrigerating. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

Caramel Macadamia Rice Crispie Treats

2012-01-16T10:52:00.000-05:00

Yes. I stink at life. I have not blogged in months. I swore I'd start blogging again....then I didn't. I told you my kitchen would be done soon.....then it wasn't. Not even close, BUT.....this time I mean it. No really. I will be blogging and cooking and photographing again! No, my kitchen is not finished, but all it not lost.....I've been cheating on my kitchen. I confess. There is a new oven in my life *sigh* it's an electric. It's just so hard to tell you this. *wipes tear* but yes, I am using a "boy kitchen."

Until I have a pretty shiny new double oven gas stove happily installed in my own kitchen (which at this rate won't happen until the fall), I will be using my boyfriend's kitchen. I'm slowly infiltrating it. First it was just a Kitchenaide mixer on the counter.....then came the spring form pans, and the souffle dish and even a small frother for hot chocolate. Before you know I'll have properly set up shop! He says he's okay with this....and despite the fact that he helped me move and pack all my kitchen wares, I'm still not sure Brandon really gets just how much gear I own. He understands in theory.......

He'll understand fully soon. The blog is back and it's being run from his kitchen. It's a good test for the relationship right?

In other news, no, this recipe is not something I came up with on my own. I read this on Epicurious and my jaw hit the keyboard. It's one of the best things I've made in months....and not just because I haven't had a working kitchen in months.....but that helps its case. These were actually made in Butchie's kitchen (gas oven = happy Jana). Do make them. They are delicious and you'll wonder why the gourmet rice crispy trend hasn't taken off yet, because, WOW.

Enjoy!

Caramel Macadamia Rice Crispie Treats

as found on Epicurious

4 cups puffed-rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1 cup salted, roasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Butter 17- by 12-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line with parchment paper, leaving 1-inch overhang on each end, and butter paper.

In large heatproof steel bowl, toss together cereal and nuts.

In heavy large saucepan over moderate heat, stir together sugar and 6 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, then raise heat to moderately high and boil without stirring, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush, until syrup turns deep amber in color, about 8 minutes. Carefully stir in cream (mixture may splatter and briefly harden) then stir in butter. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla.

Drizzle caramel over cereal-nut mixture and, using heatproof silicone spatula or wooden spoon, stir until fully incorporated. Spread mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm and slightly cooled, about 10 minutes, then break into bite-sized pieces.

In small metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water, combine chocolate and oil. Heat, whisking occasionally, until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Drizzle chocolate mixture over Rice Krispie pieces and let stand until chocolate hardens.

Rice Krispies Treats will keep in an airtight container for up to two days.

Baked Apples

2011-11-02T13:09:00.001-04:00

Yes, an actual baked dessert back on the blog! Freshly made by Butchie and I....well sort of. It was made the night before in her fully functional kitchen and reheated in my toaster oven back at my foxhole. Two weeks from today appliances will be delivered. Two. 2. To. Too. Two. I don't care which grammar obscenity we use. TWO WEEKS!

Lately I've had baked apples on the brain. I blame an old friend who called me up for the sole purpose of telling me about the baked apples he made. Jerk. I was hungry all afternoon after that conversation! I have to say, I'm of a mixed mind about baked apples. On the one hand, I prefer having all the extra pie crust, and the apples themselves are lovely, but If I did this again, I think I'd change a few things. I'd cut the apples into rings on the inside and put lots of cinnamon and spices in between. I'd also take any excess juices, boil them down into a glaze to spoon over ice cream on the side.

I hope you enjoy these little treats! I'll be back in two weeks with a bright and shiny new kitchen!

Cheers!

Baked Apples
Adapted from Tartine

1 cup unsalted butter, very cold
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling
8 Apples
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground Vietnamese cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter

To make the dough, cut the butter into 1-inch cubes and put them in the freezer. Measure the water, dissolve the salt into it and put into the freezer as well. Chill both for about 10 minutes.

Measure the flour onto a large, flat work surface and spread into a rectangle about 1cm thick. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour and toss a little flour over the butter so that your rolling pin won’t stick, and begin rolling. When the butter starts flattening out into long, thin pieces, use a bench scraper to scoop up the sides of the rectangle so that it is the size that you started with. Repeat the rolling and scraping 3 or 4 times.

Make a well in the center and pour all of the water into it. Using the bench scraper, scoop the sides of the dough into the center, cutting the water through the dough. Keep scraping and cutting until the dough is a shaggy mass and shape into a rectangle.

Lightly dust the top with flour and roll out the rectangle until it is half as large again, then scrape the top, bottom and sides together to the original size and re-roll. Repeat 3 or 4 times until you have a smooth and cohesive dough. Transfer rectangle of dough to a large baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.

When you are ready to roll the dough, divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough into circle shapes. Transfer to baking sheets and chill for 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Core and peel the apples.

Mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Stuff the core of the sugar spice mixture and butter in layers. Alternate as you go.

Wrap the apple with the dough, trim excess dough.

You can make decorations for the top with the extra dough and cookie cutters.

Put them in the oven for about 45 minutes to one hour.

Dilly Beans

2011-10-24T11:57:00.000-04:00

Alright. I've been awful. It's been nearly a month (okay, probably more) since I've posted consistently....and it's probably going to be longer. It's just hard to be a food blogger without a kitchen aide, a stove, an oven, or a working knowledge of where my food props are (hint: still in boxes). Excuses, excuses. Except they are valid. If you could see my kitchen, you'd understand. I took down the upper cabinets and I'm now convinced at one point there was a fire...and rather than fix that wall, they just put a cabinet over it. Yeah. That happened.

Despite the overwhelming and negative daily discoveries, I've been in the house for five weeks, and there are a few bright sides.

Such as this:

I feel like this should be the "What 5 things are different in the second picture?" game.

Drop ceiling. Ugh. That was awful. Beware of snipping wires......sometimes half comes down at once if you snip the wrong wire.
Mauve carpet. Hardwood oak floor? Yes please.
Vertical blinds....never liked them.
Grey walls instead of ones that were probably white ten years ago.
The drapes. My goodness the drapes. Oh what drapes. Don't kid yourselves. Those were heavy.

The second piece of good news is that after this weekend with tons of great help from my friends Charlotte and Brandon the dining room is now equally lovely....or would be, if my fridge and stove weren't in there. I dare to dream of a day when my kitchen appliances are working and in the kitchen. Well, not these kitchen appliances. The bright shiny new ones I'm getting delivered as soon as that stupid wall doesn't look like a wayward grenade hit it.

Sigh. I will be back. Eventually. I promise. Butchie and I are making baked apples tonight....in her kitchen....as mine is a foxhole. But I found another post that I just somehow never put up!

Be back soon!

Dilly Beans

1 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 1/2 cup very hot tap water
2 heads fresh dill weed

4 garlic cloves

4 dried chilies

1 1/4 fresh green beans, washed and trimmed

Preheat oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit. Put mason jars, lids and rings in the oven to sterilize for twenty minutes.

Combine the water, salt and vinegar in a large pot, and bring to a boil. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to low and keep at a simmer. Meanwhile pack the jars.

Divide the remaining ingredients between two 8 oz jars.

For refrigerator beans:

Cover the produce with the brine. Cover and refrigerate. Let sit for four days before eating. Lasts up to two months.

For canning beans:

Pour the simmering brine over top with a quarter inch left to spare. Seal with rings and lids. Place lid-side down. Allow to sit upside-down on your counter for 45 minutes.

Store in a dark cool place. The dilly beans will keep in the refrigerator for two months after opening.

raspberry white chocolate chip ice cream

2011-09-22T11:11:00.000-04:00

Oh I have been a VERY bad blogger. How neglectful I've been! I feel that I owe all of you a big big BIG explanation!

Last Friday I closed on a house. Saturday I moved in and Sunday I started renovations. I bought a fixer upper. I think once you see pictures of my kitchen (as of midnight last night) you'll understand.

Surprisingly my big thing isn't that the kitchen is ugly. I mean, it is. oh it is. but, some paint and chipping off tile, taking down a drop ceiling, removing the florescent lights etc. can fix that. The biggest problem is the appliances got "built in." The counters don't have enough space in between them to remove the twenty year old fridge and stove. I have to remove some counters. Plus, those counters could use painted, inside and out. So..........there is nothing in my fridge, no food in my cabinets, and no cooking happening. Ideal for a food blogger right?

I'm sure you can see why the posts have been scarce. That ice cream up top was made weeks ago and I completely forgot about it. Otherwise, you'd probably not have a post now! I'm too busy taking down ceilings, tile, buying floor tile, and scheduling the plumbers, electricians and contractors. As it is, the house right now has no power. The electricians is currently updating power boxes from the 50s. Yes. The power boxes are older than my parents. That's......special. It's not so bad actually. Most of the house was already updated.....just not the addition to the house. Yep. Many of my electric plugs only have two holes, not three. They are from the 1920s. Oh, so special.

The house is livable. I live in it. It's not pretty or perfect or amazing just yet. It will be. Give me two more weeks of focusing on the renovations and I'll have a beautiful house....and no more blog followers. Hahaha. Please hang in with me. It's just a temporary hiatus.

To hold you over, here is a recipe I completely forgot about:

raspberry white chocolate chip ice cream

5 egg yolks
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 cups half and half

1 quart raspberries

1/2 cup finely chopped white chocolate
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Scald half and half over medium heat in a medium sauce pan. Remove from heat.

In a stand mixer whisk together the yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, then gradually pour the scalded half and half down the side of the bowl as the mixer is still going.

Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat, and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Add in vanilla. Chill the custard thoroughly. About two hours.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker. Add raspberries. Allow the ice cream to churn until near finished then add the white chocolate chunks. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.