tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24278655047264640872024-03-13T14:45:46.940-07:00Mostly From ScratchHouse stuff. Family stuff. Food. Mostly by me and mostly from scratch.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-19199107015187971032012-10-28T07:39:00.001-07:002012-10-28T07:45:11.712-07:00October's Baker's Challenge: Mille Feuille<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PvedaGuqjo/UI1EE4LYtwI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/h3wtddi9vSc/s1600/image(24).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PvedaGuqjo/UI1EE4LYtwI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/h3wtddi9vSc/s320/image(24).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CMdnww7srs/UI1EGLbQhPI/AAAAAAAAARA/EeiuT210f-E/s1600/image(25).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CMdnww7srs/UI1EGLbQhPI/AAAAAAAAARA/EeiuT210f-E/s320/image(25).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sxyDqbOZx2k/UI1EHs2miDI/AAAAAAAAARI/5UC61GAxCWA/s1600/image(26).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sxyDqbOZx2k/UI1EHs2miDI/AAAAAAAAARI/5UC61GAxCWA/s320/image(26).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lKqctAS7uOM/UI1EIgqB_NI/AAAAAAAAARQ/bAQIkLQ68_U/s1600/image(27).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lKqctAS7uOM/UI1EIgqB_NI/AAAAAAAAARQ/bAQIkLQ68_U/s320/image(27).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Blog checking lines: <i>Our October 2012 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Suz of Serenely
Full. Suz challenged us to not only tackle buttery and flaky puff
pastry, but then take it step further and create a sinfully delicious
Mille Feuille dessert with it!</i><br />
<br />
My Mille Feuille looked a bit more like turnovers than the lovely layered napoleons they were intended to be. In my imagination they were going to have many layers, a light, lump free pastry cream and an intricate icing design.<br />
<br />
Two weeks of the flu, many house guests and two job interviews later...voila! A lumpy, single layer with a drizzle of simple icing and a few stewed pears thrown in.<br />
<br />
Not a master piece but yummy none the less. <i><br /></i>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-9379115357528815632012-09-26T16:47:00.001-07:002012-09-26T16:47:17.458-07:00September Baker's Challenge: Empinadas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Aq3Y32rr_kk/UGOT34-_O5I/AAAAAAAAAQU/EAA1PuNLoCU/s1600/image(18).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Aq3Y32rr_kk/UGOT34-_O5I/AAAAAAAAAQU/EAA1PuNLoCU/s320/image(18).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ie-Mn8vEeW4/UGOT4_EKGgI/AAAAAAAAAQc/WBLv8_MUYeU/s1600/image(19).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ie-Mn8vEeW4/UGOT4_EKGgI/AAAAAAAAAQc/WBLv8_MUYeU/s320/image(19).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hLZZhixjZew/UGOT5rHDmmI/AAAAAAAAAQk/qlV6XqgS3vM/s1600/image(20).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hLZZhixjZew/UGOT5rHDmmI/AAAAAAAAAQk/qlV6XqgS3vM/s320/image(20).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Blog checking lines: <i>Patri of the blog, Asi Son Los Cosas, was our September 2012 Daring
Bakers’ hostess and she decided to tempt us with one of her family’s
favorite recipes for Empanadas! We were given two dough recipes to
choose from and encouraged to fill our Empanadas as creatively as we
wished!</i>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-68320875371646267862012-06-27T15:59:00.001-07:002012-06-27T15:59:54.835-07:00June Baker's Challenge: Battenburg Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAPYRBu2XfQ/T-uQU0BueLI/AAAAAAAAAQA/kkirJx1FMeU/s1600/photo%2892%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZAPYRBu2XfQ/T-uQU0BueLI/AAAAAAAAAQA/kkirJx1FMeU/s320/photo%2892%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4R1OGxdXw40/T-uQVitXV-I/AAAAAAAAAQI/xQrzsdpvZZg/s1600/photo%2893%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4R1OGxdXw40/T-uQVitXV-I/AAAAAAAAAQI/xQrzsdpvZZg/s320/photo%2893%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Blog checking lines: <i><a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/users/mandym">Mandy</a> of <a href="http://www.mandymortimer.com/">What The Fruitcake?!</a>
came to our rescue last minute to present us with the Battenberg Cake
challenge! She highlighted Mary Berry’s techniques and recipes to allow
us to create this unique little cake with ease.</i><br />
<br />
This was the June challenge and also my husband's birthday cake. I was really excited about this one and put a lot of thought into it. My flavours were caramel butter cream icing, yellow cake, chocolate cake and chocolate plastique.<br />
<br />
People loved this cake. I loved the icing and the chocolate cake but I wasn't wild about the plastique (should have splurged on the chocolate) and the yellow cake was good but not amazing. My biggest challenge was that my 9 month old was really, really needy while I made this and I ended up holding him for most of the prep and then coming back and forth to making it while I tended to him. Usually I really focus in on my baking so that made it a little more tough.<br />
<br />
Despite that, and most importantly, I loved the concept and had so much fun with this cake! It was a great surprise for the guests to see the cake cut and notice the checker pattern.<i><br /></i>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-68998021383903711982012-05-27T17:38:00.000-07:002012-05-28T06:44:26.909-07:00May Baker's Challenge: Challah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9Vq1ppt_y0/T8OA_ketWuI/AAAAAAAAAOg/EtvaoIdnR5Y/s1600/photo%2870%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9Vq1ppt_y0/T8OA_ketWuI/AAAAAAAAAOg/EtvaoIdnR5Y/s320/photo%2870%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efMzv7SCWSA/T8OBF8ZuhMI/AAAAAAAAAOo/Lwasi__nAB0/s1600/photo%2869%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-efMzv7SCWSA/T8OBF8ZuhMI/AAAAAAAAAOo/Lwasi__nAB0/s320/photo%2869%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Blog checking lines: <i>May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The
Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from
all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she
encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads.</i><br />
<br />
I opted to make the Honey Challah and really enjoyed the process. Braiding was fun (3 and 6 strand) and as someone who has never really delved into breads, this was refreshing. We ate the bread with butter and jam and enjoyed it. I'd like to work on making it a little lighter, as it was a touch too dense in my opinion. Freezing one loaf and looking forward to serving it to friends next weekend. <i></i><br />
<h3>
Challah (Honey White)</h3>
(from <a href="http://tammysrecipes.com/challah">Tammy’s Recipes</a>)<br />
Servings: 2 loaves<br />
<b><i>Ingredients</i></b><br />
1 ½ cups (360 ml) warm water, separated<br />
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) (15 gm/½ oz sugar<br />
2 Tbsp. (2-2/3 packets) (30 ml) (18 gm) (2/3 oz) dry active yeast<br />
½ cup (120 ml) honey<br />
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) oil (light colored vegetable oil, or olive oil if you prefer)<br />
4 large eggs<br />
1 ½ tsp. 7½ ml) (9 gm) (1/3 oz) salt<br />
5 cups (1200 ml) (700 gm/25 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour, plus more as needed (up to 8 or 9 cups total)<br />
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water<br />
<b><i>Directions:</i></b><br />
1. In mixer bowl/large mixing bowl combine ½ cup warm water, 1 Tbsp.
sugar and 2 Tbsp. yeast. Allow to proof approximately 5 minutes until
foamy.<br />
2. To the yeast mixture add the remaining water, honey, oil, eggs, salt
and 5 cups of flour. Knead (by hand or with your mixer’s dough hook)
until smooth, adding flour as needed. Knead for approximately 10
minutes.<br />
3. Transfer dough to a clean, oiled bowl, turn to coat or add a bit more
oil on top. Cover bowl with a kitchen/tea towel. Leave to rise in a
warm place until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.<br />
4. Punch down the dough, divide it into two sections. Use one half to make each loaf (shaped or braided as desired).<br />
5. Place loaves on parchment lined or greased baking sheets, cover with a towel, allow to rise 30 minutes.<br />
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.<br />
7. Brush tops loaves with egg wash. (Sprinkle with seeds or toppings here if wanted.)<br />
8. Bake loaves 30-40 minutes until done.<br />
9. Cool on wire racks.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-18978872992352822122012-04-28T17:02:00.004-07:002012-04-29T04:11:19.399-07:00April Baker's Challenge: Armenian Nutmeg Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8PmLqXK-aZA/T5yEoy7XHPI/AAAAAAAAAOE/ly-JWaj0xhQ/s1600/photo%2861%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8PmLqXK-aZA/T5yEoy7XHPI/AAAAAAAAAOE/ly-JWaj0xhQ/s1600/photo%252861%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CDi9AjabJic/T5yFGdpF6UI/AAAAAAAAAOU/uSi6lm0O7tE/s1600/photo%2862%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CDi9AjabJic/T5yFGdpF6UI/AAAAAAAAAOU/uSi6lm0O7tE/s320/photo%2862%29.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Blog checking lines: <i>The Daring Bakers’ April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily
Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a
layered yeasted dough pastry with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a
fragrant, nutty coffee-style cake. </i><br />
<br />
This cake was easy to make and so crazily delicious that we ate it until we almost exploded. It took ages to cook and the batter was nothing to write home about, but the finished product was nothing short of a miracle.<i> </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
This one is a forever cake<i>.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i><b>Ingredients</b></i><br />
<ul>
<li>1 cup (240 ml) milk (I use whole, but nonfat or lowfat should be fine; non-dairy might work just fine, as well)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking soda </li>
<li>2 cups (480 ml) (280 gm/10 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour (I suspect
pastry flour or another low-gluten flour might even work better to
achieve a light, fluffy crumb)</li>
<li> 2 teaspoons (10 ml) (10 gm) (⅓ oz) baking powder (I used
single-acting, because it's aluminum-free, and it turned out fantastic) </li>
<li>2 cups (480 ml) (400 gm/14 oz) brown sugar, firmly packed</li>
<li>3/4 cup (1½ sticks) (180 ml) (170 gm/6 oz) butter, preferably unsalted, cubed</li>
<li>1/2 cup (120 ml) (55 gm/2 oz) walnut pieces, may need a little more </li>
<li>1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons (5 to 7 ½ ml) (5 to 8 gm) ground nutmeg (try to grate it fresh yourself; the aroma is enchanting)</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
</ul>
<i>Directions - the Traditional Way </i><br />
1. Preheat your oven to moderate 350°F/175°C/gas mark 4.<br />
2. Mix the baking soda (not baking powder; that's for the next step) into the milk. Set it aside.<br />
3. Sift together the flour and the baking powder into a large bowl. One sift is fine<br />
4. Add the brown sugar. Go ahead and mix the flour and brown sugar together. Or not.<br />
5. Toss in the cubed butter. <br />
<br />
6. Mash the butter with a fork into the dry ingredients (you can also
use your fingers if you want). You'll want to achieve a more-or-less
uniform, tan-colored crumbly mixture.<br />
7. Take HALF of this resulting crumbly mixture into your springform
(9”/23cm) pan. Press a crust out of it using your fingers and knuckles.
It will be easy.<br />
8. Crack an egg into a mixer or bowl.<br />
9. Toss the nutmeg in with the egg.<br />
10. Start mixing slowly with a whisk attachment and then increase to
medium speed, or mix with a hand whisk if you're doing it manually. Once
it's mixed well and frothy (about 1 minute using a standing mixer, or
about 2-3 minutes of vigorous beating with a whisk), pour in the milk
and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until uniform.<br />
11. Pour in the rest of the crumbly mixture. Mix that well, with either a
paddle attachment, or a spatula. Or continue to use the whisk; it won't
make much of a difference, since the resulting batter is very liquidy. Pour on the crust and sprinkle with nuts. Bake.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-55470441647662844642012-03-16T12:38:00.004-07:002012-03-16T17:10:23.028-07:00Ring, Ring...Banana Cake!<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wMkxGi7oUBY/T2OYYDrOwUI/AAAAAAAAAN8/IsN8KnuiRjg/s1600/photo%252848%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wMkxGi7oUBY/T2OYYDrOwUI/AAAAAAAAAN8/IsN8KnuiRjg/s320/photo%252848%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720583490761572674" border="0" /></a><br />The only children's CD we have was a gift from my step mother. It's the best 20 years of Raffi. For the Raffi fans out there, the title of this post will hopefully inspire at least a knowing smile. For everyone else: there's a song called 'Banana Phone', which is really catchy and I often have it in my head. As a result, as soon as I uttered the words 'Banana Cake', I could think of nothing else.<br /><br />This cake cannot call your cat but it's still something to sing about! It's really the peach upside down cake with bananas instead of peaches. It's a nice alternative when peach season is no more. I made this on NYE and it was pretty tasty, although I hands down prefer the peach. Banana lovers would disagree I'm sure, but the beauty of this upside down cake is that there's a version for everyone. Pineapple, peach, banana, pear, apple...I would go on if I could think of something else! The point is that it's a really good base recipe that is very versatile.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-73455331718068839982012-03-16T12:24:00.004-07:002012-03-16T12:54:24.126-07:00January Baker's Challenge: Scones<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm_CUh5mRhI/T2OWa8UWLuI/AAAAAAAAANk/SiS4qzUGq-o/s1600/photo%252846%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zm_CUh5mRhI/T2OWa8UWLuI/AAAAAAAAANk/SiS4qzUGq-o/s320/photo%252846%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720581341302894306" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BdI17ZYnDgg/T2OWbPJNo8I/AAAAAAAAANw/0KxmP7_8HBo/s1600/photo%252847%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BdI17ZYnDgg/T2OWbPJNo8I/AAAAAAAAANw/0KxmP7_8HBo/s320/photo%252847%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720581346356470722" border="0" /></a><br />Bakers Challenge blog checking lines: <span style="font-style: italic;">Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a/k/a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens!</span><br /><br />Scones are one of those things that I've made without really thinking about them. The January Baker's Challenge changed that. Scones are complex little creatures with distinct personalities. Did I want a tender scone? Would my scone have layers? These are but a few of the questions I never thought to ask. Lord only knows what kinds of scones I was technically producing before, and I can only hope that the recipients were just as clueless as I was!<br /><br />In the end I chose a tender scone because that's what Charlie said he wanted. I knew, as maybe he did too, that he had no idea what that really meant. Happy to have some direction, I forged ahead with the instructions for the tender variety.<br /><br />My mother in law mentioned that she liked scones, and since she was coming over for an infant/child CPR class at our house (not hosted by me thankfully for those attending!), it seemed like a good time to make scones.<br /><br />I served my decidedly tender scones with devon cream and strawberry rhubarb jam. The crowd was pleased with them, but I held back on declaring a real victory. They weren't burnt, they looked good, they were fairly moist, but I really felt that for something with such few ingredients they would have to be out of this world for me to think I had actually mastered them. Maybe my version of a mastered scone will be slightly different than someone else's but I still don't think I'm there. Next time I will try making a flaky scone. Stay tuned!from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-58012995693718411392012-03-16T09:58:00.005-07:002012-03-16T10:42:31.938-07:00The Only Chocolate Cake<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L9N2ElnOZkA/T2N7WRSCE0I/AAAAAAAAANY/_c2UCpPhYWc/s1600/photo%252845%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L9N2ElnOZkA/T2N7WRSCE0I/AAAAAAAAANY/_c2UCpPhYWc/s320/photo%252845%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720551574217036610" border="0" /></a><br />From now on I will know no other chocolate cake. This is that good. It's probably due in large part to the quality of chocolate. The recipe recommends the best chocolate you can get and it's worth it because the chocolate flavour comes through a lot.<br /><br />There is a chocolate shop in the Distillery District in Toronto, called SOMA and that's where I picked up the chocolate for this cake. I made this for my sister's birthday and it was a HUGE hit!! The icing I chose was a cream cheese frosting and I probably wouldn't do it again, as I think it would have suited a milk chocolate frosting better. The recipe actually called for a dark ganache but I thought it would be a bit too intense - maybe not, but I didn't try it in any case. This recipe was taken from http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/bestof/toprecipes/bestcakerecipes/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275<br /><br /><strong>For cake layers</strong> <ul class="ingredientsList"><li class="ingredient">3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut</li></ul> <br /> <ul class="ingredientsList"><li class="ingredient">1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee</li><li class="ingredient">3 cups sugar</li><li class="ingredient">2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</li><li class="ingredient">1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)</li><li class="ingredient">2 teaspoons baking soda</li><li class="ingredient">3/4 teaspoon baking powder</li><li class="ingredient">1 1/4 teaspoons salt</li><li class="ingredient">3 large eggs</li><li class="ingredient">3/4 cup vegetable oil</li><li class="ingredient">1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk</li><li class="ingredient">3/4 teaspoon vanilla</li></ul> <br /> <strong>For ganache frosting</strong> <ul class="ingredientsList"><li class="ingredient">1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut</li><li class="ingredient">1 cup heavy cream</li><li class="ingredient">2 tablespoons sugar</li><li class="ingredient">2 tablespoons light corn syrup</li><li class="ingredient">1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter</li></ul> <br /> <strong>Special equipment</strong> <ul class="ingredientsList"><li class="ingredient">two 10- by 2-inch round cake pans</li></ul><br /><p class="instruction"> <strong>Make cake layers:</strong><br /> Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper. </p> <p class="instruction"> Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. </p> <p class="instruction"> Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes. </p> <p class="instruction"> Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. </p> <p class="instruction"> <strong>Make frosting:</strong><br /> Finely chop chocolate. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth. </p> <p class="instruction"> Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency). </p> <p class="instruction"> Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring cake to room temperature before serving.<br /></p><p class="instruction"><br /></p>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-18281514365752570472012-03-16T09:42:00.004-07:002012-03-16T12:48:23.837-07:00Leftover Brown Rice Muffins: A Pleasant Surprise<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WAC4CMTmvsw/T2NvA6IAmlI/AAAAAAAAANA/0GlmmThccC0/s1600/photo%252843%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WAC4CMTmvsw/T2NvA6IAmlI/AAAAAAAAANA/0GlmmThccC0/s320/photo%252843%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720538013084195410" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MUBaePpyuqU/T2NvBTmTbNI/AAAAAAAAANM/MWhyw8JlyG0/s1600/photo%252844%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MUBaePpyuqU/T2NvBTmTbNI/AAAAAAAAANM/MWhyw8JlyG0/s320/photo%252844%2529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720538019922144466" border="0" /></a><br />In the spirit of frugality we have been trying to waste less food. Last night I made a brown rice nut loaf and had a cup and a half of brown rice left. Generally, we find that brown rice doesn't keep well on it's own because it gets sort of dry and hard and - for me anyway - it's totally uninspiring. As a challenge, Charlie suggested I try baking something with the leftover rice.<br /><br />In an attempt to lazily rise to the challenge, I just looked up a leftover brown rice muffin recipe. After reading the ingredients and tasting the batter i was completely sure that they would be totally gross. Surprise! They were really quite tasty and I'm planning to make them again.<br /><br />Here is the recipe:<br /><br />Note: I baked them for 17 minutes at 350 and used all purpose gluten free flour<br /><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="548"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td><img src="http://www.gourmet.org/images/clear.gif" alt="Spacer" height="10" width="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> </tr></tbody></table><table class="text10Gray" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr><td><p>1 1/4 c Whole wheat flour </p><p>2 tb Brown sugar </p><p>2 ts Baking powder </p><p>2 Eggs </p><p>2/3 c Skim milk </p><p>1/4 c Vegetable oil </p><p>1/4 ts Almond extract </p><p>1 c Cooked brown rice </p><p>Credit: BOYD NARON LEFTOVER RICE MUFFINS Stir first three ingredients together. Beat remaining ingredients, stirring rice in last. Combine two mixtures just until moistened. Spoon into 12 muffin cups. Bake at 440 degrees for 20 minutes. 127 calories per serving. </p><p><br /></p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-79109047816732913322011-11-27T15:01:00.001-08:002012-03-16T12:55:58.892-07:00November Baker's Challenge: Sans Rival Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XwGzsOrqIcE/TtLESP2rDCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/dd5MpMVtTLo/s1600/sans%2Brival%2Bcake%2B018v.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XwGzsOrqIcE/TtLESP2rDCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/dd5MpMVtTLo/s320/sans%2Brival%2Bcake%2B018v.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679817897840151586" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pdlDXOV-yq4/TtLCEYcYtjI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ln1qO2Hbug8/s1600/sans%2Brival%2Bcake%2B017v.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pdlDXOV-yq4/TtLCEYcYtjI/AAAAAAAAAMc/ln1qO2Hbug8/s320/sans%2Brival%2Bcake%2B017v.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679815460604393010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oPnv5itl-xM/TtLCEYcZ59I/AAAAAAAAAMk/ww-ULCu97c4/s1600/sans%2Brival%2Bcake%2B019v.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oPnv5itl-xM/TtLCEYcZ59I/AAAAAAAAAMk/ww-ULCu97c4/s320/sans%2Brival%2Bcake%2B019v.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679815460604471250" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Bakers Challenge blog checking lines: <span style="font-style: italic;">Catherine of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.munchiemusings.net/">Munchie Musings</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://blog.junbelen.com/">Jun-blog</a><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br />I opted to make only the cake, but really wish I had the time to do both. The cake was really fun - I especially enjoyed the proper French butter cream icing. It was very good. My meringues were a tad chewy but it really didn't take away from the taste as much as I thought it would. This cake is really good and really rich (probably from the cashews).<br /><br />Here's the recipe:<br /><p> <strong>Sans Rival:<br /></strong>Servings: 12</p> <p>Ingredients<br />10 large egg whites, room temp<br />1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) white granulated sugar<br />1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) cream of tartar<br />¼ cup (60 ml) (20 gm) (2/3 oz) Dutch processed cocoa (optional and not traditional)<br />2 cups (480 ml) (240 gm) (8½ oz) chopped, toasted cashews </p> <p>Directions:<br />Note: You will need four layers which will mean that you might have to bake in two batches. Be sure to use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch.</p> <p>1. Preheat oven to moderate 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3.<br />2. Line cake pan bottoms with parchment paper and butter and flour the sides really well.<br />3. In a large clean, dry glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium until foamy (2 mins.). Sprinkle with cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, a couple of tablespoons at a time, continuing to beat now at high speed until stiff shiny peaks form. (about 7-10 mins.)</p><p>4. Fold in nuts, reserving enough to use for decoration. </p> <p>(Note the more finely ground for folding into meringue. The coarsely ground for is decoration of finished cake.)</p><p>5. Divide meringue into four equal parts. Spread in pans, evenly to edges. If doing batches, use fresh parchment paper and cooled pans for each batch. </p> <p>6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the meringue from the baking pans while still hot; allow to cool slightly. Peel off the parchment paper while it is still warm, it is difficult to remove sometimes when they have completely cooled. </p> <p>7. When cool, trim edges so that all 4 meringue layers are uniformly shaped. Set aside.</p> <p><strong>French Buttercream:<br /></strong><br />Ingredients<br />5 large egg yolks, room temperature<br />1 cup (240 ml) (225 gm) (8 oz) white granulated sugar<br />1/4 cup (60 ml) water<br />1¼ cup (300 ml) (2½ sticks) (285 gm) (10 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature<br />Optional Flavorings: 2 oz (55 gm) unsweetened chocolate, melted, or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) almond extract, or 1½ teaspoon (7 ½ ml) vanilla extract, or any flavor you like</p> <p>Directions:</p> <p>1. Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until the yolks have doubled in volume and are a lemon yellow.<br />2. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan and cook over medium heat, stirring the sides down only until all the sugar is dissolved and the syrup reaches 235°F/112°C (or thread stage).<br />3. With the mixer on high, very slowly pour the syrup down the sides of the bowl, until all has been added. Be careful as the very hot syrup could burn you if it splashes from the beaters. Continue beating on high until the mixture is ROOM TEMPERATURE (about 15 mins). Still on high, beat in the soft, room temperature butter a tablespoon at a time. Add flavoring after you beat in the butter. Refrigerate the buttercream for at least an hour, and whip it smooth just before you use it.<br />Assembly:<br />Set bottom meringue on cake board with a dab of butter cream to hold it in place. Spread a thin layer of buttercream and then place another meringue on top. Repeat with a thin layer of buttercream, meringue, thin layer of buttercream, meringue, and finally buttercream the top and sides. Decorate with reserved nuts.</p>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-39633231120747668812011-10-27T14:01:00.001-07:002012-03-16T12:56:38.858-07:00Daring Bakers October: Povitica<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XPsyQGyRumU/TqnKMxDvOHI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/NiL4d9xwUzg/s1600/isaac%2B077.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XPsyQGyRumU/TqnKMxDvOHI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/NiL4d9xwUzg/s320/isaac%2B077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668283926698735730" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xchXzN-QXCg/TqnJ4Ouy0DI/AAAAAAAAAME/JbrVnOsf4Zc/s1600/isaac%2B076%2Bp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xchXzN-QXCg/TqnJ4Ouy0DI/AAAAAAAAAME/JbrVnOsf4Zc/s320/isaac%2B076%2Bp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668283573886701618" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q1Rmcs7zqdk/TqnJ4FkEgyI/AAAAAAAAAL0/VBdtLCsD9Wo/s1600/isaac%2B074%2Bp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q1Rmcs7zqdk/TqnJ4FkEgyI/AAAAAAAAAL0/VBdtLCsD9Wo/s320/isaac%2B074%2Bp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668283571425805090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jrMhz-7uCmI/TqnJ3q0L3qI/AAAAAAAAALc/I64-d8vYY5c/s1600/isaac%2B056%2Bp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jrMhz-7uCmI/TqnJ3q0L3qI/AAAAAAAAALc/I64-d8vYY5c/s320/isaac%2B056%2Bp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668283564245638818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V_HpAKNALnk/TqnJ3u_Xu2I/AAAAAAAAALU/N_xGE8FgJfA/s1600/isaac%2B049%2Bp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V_HpAKNALnk/TqnJ3u_Xu2I/AAAAAAAAALU/N_xGE8FgJfA/s320/isaac%2B049%2Bp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668283565366295394" border="0" /></a>Bakers Challenge blog checking lines: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat!</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br />Povitica is pronounced 'po-va-teet-sa' and was a lot of fun to make. Next time - and I do think there will be a next time - I want to try a savory version of this. I will likely do an egg wash and fill it with spinach, garlic and cheese. This sweet version was tasty, but a bit too sweet for me (yes, there is such a thing!). Actually, we scarfed down an entire loaf in 1/2 a day, so who am I really kidding??<br /><br />The big challenge to this dessert is the rolling of the dough, which should be so thin that it's transparent. It's rolled out on a sheet and if you can see the pattern of the sheet through the dough, then you're in business. Povitica masters/show offs can actually use the sheet and a flick of the wrist to roll their dough. I'm not among this group so i rolled mine by hand, just like a jelly roll.<br /><br />Overall I'd say this was successful, although next time I would spread the filling a bit thinner and cook it a touch longer.<br /><br />Here's the recipe with instructions:<br /><br /><p><em>Ingredients</em></p> <p><em>To activate the Yeast:</em><br />2 Teaspoons (10 ml/9 gm) Sugar<br />1 Teaspoon (5 ml/3 gm) All-Purpose (Plain) Flour<br />½ Cup (120ml) Warm Water<br />2 Tablespoons (30ml/14 gm/½ oz/2 sachets) Dry Yeast</p> <p><em>Dough:</em><br />2 Cups (480ml) Whole Milk<br />¾ Cup (180 ml/170gm/6 oz) Sugar<br />3 Teaspoons (15 ml/18 gm/2/3 oz) Table Salt<br />4 Large Eggs<br />½ Cup (120ml/115 gm/one stick/4 oz) Unsalted Butter, melted<br />8 cups (1.92 l/1.12 kg/39½ oz/2½ lb) All-Purpose Flour, measure first then sift, divided</p> <p><em>Walnut Filling:</em><br />7 Cups (1.68 l/1.12 kg/2.5 lbs) Ground English Walnuts<br />1 Cup (240ml) Whole Milk<br />1 Cup (240ml/225 gm/2 sticks/8 oz) Unsalted Butter<br />2 Whole Eggs, Beaten<br />1 Teaspoon (5ml) Pure Vanilla Extract<br />2 Cups (480ml/450 gm/16 oz) Sugar<br />1 Teaspoon (5 ml/4 gm) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder<br />1 Teaspoon (5 ml/3 gm) Cinnamon</p> <p><em>Topping</em>:<br />½ Cup (120 ml) Cold STRONG Coffee<br />2 Tablespoons (30 ml/28 gm/1 oz) Granulated Sugar<br />Melted Butter</p><p><em>To Activate Yeast:</em><br />1. In a small bowl, stir 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon flour, and the yeast into ½ cup warm water and cover with plastic wrap.<br />2. Allow to stand for 5 minutes </p><p><em>To Make the Dough:<br /></em>3. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk up to just below boiling (about 180°F/82°C), stirring constantly so that a film does not form on the top of the milk. You want it hot enough to scald you, but not boiling. Allow to cool slightly, until it is about 110°F/43°C.<br />4. In a large bowl, mix the scalded milk, ¾ cup (180 gm/170 gm/6 oz) sugar, and the salt until combined.<br />5. Add the beaten eggs, yeast mixture, melted butter, and 2 cups (480 ml/280 gm/10 oz) of flour. </p> <p>6. Blend thoroughly and slowly add remaining flour, mixing well until the dough starts to clean the bowl.<br />7. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead, gradually adding flour a little at a time, until smooth and does not stick. Note: I did not use all 8 cups of flour<br />8. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces (they will each weight about 1.25 pounds/565 grams)<br />9. Place dough in 4 lightly oiled bowls, cover loosely with a layer of plastic wrap and then a kitchen towel and let rise an hour and a half in a warm place, until doubled in size.<br /><em>To Make the Filling<br /></em>10. In a large bowl mix together the ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa.<br />11. Heat the milk and butter to boiling.<br />12. Pour the liquid over the nut/sugar mixture.<br />13. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly.<br />14. Allow to stand at room temperature until ready to be spread on the dough.<br />15. If the mixture thickens, add a small amount of warm milk.<br /><em>To Roll and Assemble the Dough:<br /></em>16. Spread a clean sheet or cloth over your entire table so that it is covered.<br />17. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons to a handful of flour (use flour sparingly)<br />18. Place the dough on the sheet and roll the dough out with a rolling pin, starting in the middle and working your way out, until it measures roughly 10-12 inches (25½ cm by 30½ cm) in diameter.<br />19. Spoon 1 to 1.5 teaspoons (5ml to 7 ½ ml/4 gm to 7 gm) of melted butter on top.<br />20. Using the tops of your hands, stretch dough out from the center until the dough is thin and uniformly opaque. You can also use your rolling pin, if you prefer.<br />21. As you work, continually pick up the dough from the table, not only to help in stretching it out, but also to make sure that it isn’t sticking.<br />22. When you think it the dough is thin enough, try to get it a little thinner. It should be so thin that you can see the color and perhaps the pattern of the sheet underneath.23. Spoon filling (see below for recipe) evenly over dough until covered.24. Lift the edge of the cloth and gently roll the dough like a jelly roll.25. Once the dough is rolled up into a rope, gently lift it up and place it into a greased loaf pan in the shape of a “U”, with the ends meeting in the middle. You want to coil the dough around itself, as this will give the dough its characteristic look when sliced.</p><p>26. Repeat with remaining three loaves, coiling each rope of dough in its own loaf pan.<br /></p><p>27. Brush the top of each loaf with a mixture of ½ cup (120 ml) of cold STRONG coffee and 2 tablespoons (30ml/28 gm/1 oz) of sugar. If you prefer, you can also use egg whites in place of this.<br /></p> 28. Cover pans lightly will plastic wrap and allow to rest for approximately 15 minutes.<br />29. Preheat oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.<br />30. Remove plastic wrap from dough and place into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes.<br />31. Turn down the oven temperature to slow 300°F/150°C/gas mark 2 and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until done.<br />32. Remove bread from oven and brush with melted butter.<br />33. Check the bread at 30 minutes to ensure that the bread is not getting too brown. You may cover the loaves with a sheet of aluminum foil if you need to.<br />34. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes, still in the bread pan. Remember, the bread weighs about 2.5 and it needs to be able to hold its own weight, which is difficult when still warm and fresh out of the oven. Allowing it to cool in the pan helps the loaf to hold its shape.<br />35. It is recommended that the best way to cut Povitica loaves into slices is by turning the loaf upside down and slicing with a serrated knife.<p><br /></p>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-25258714047845513792011-08-27T06:43:00.001-07:002012-03-16T12:55:16.922-07:00Daring Baker's: Candylicious!I've been waiting for weeks and weeks to post my August Daring Baker's Challenge and here it is: 'Candylicious'<br /><br />Bakers Challenge blog checking lines: <span style="font-style: italic;">The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://lisamichele.wordpress.com/">Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> and Mandy of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.mandymortimer.com/">What the Fruitcake?!</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.chocoley.com/">http://www.chocoley.com</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!</span><br /><br />I opted to make cut/dipped bon bons, two flavours of truffle and a bark candy. Here's what i did:<br /><br />1) Dolce and Banana Homemade Marshmallow Dipped Chocolates: I made homemade marshmallows, infused with caramelized banana tea and then sliced the marshmallows in half and filled them with caramel before dipping them in dark tempered chocolate<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rgF3JKaKLYU/Tlj1OQLr0OI/AAAAAAAAAKs/XL2YNXH65BE/s1600/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B046.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rgF3JKaKLYU/Tlj1OQLr0OI/AAAAAAAAAKs/XL2YNXH65BE/s320/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645531758119866594" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fNdCZcgNLdw/Tlj1akg5VSI/AAAAAAAAAK0/wIrOUKQ5pSk/s1600/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B091.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fNdCZcgNLdw/Tlj1akg5VSI/AAAAAAAAAK0/wIrOUKQ5pSk/s320/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B091.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645531969735972130" border="0" /></a>2) Chamomile Lavender Milk Chocolate Truffles: I infused milk chocolate and cream with a chamomile lavender coconut tea and then dipped in tempered dark chocolate<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THhuM4U-hbk/Tlj1oOUpwmI/AAAAAAAAAK8/n3i9MtGPJW8/s1600/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B047.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THhuM4U-hbk/Tlj1oOUpwmI/AAAAAAAAAK8/n3i9MtGPJW8/s320/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645532204297208418" border="0" /></a>3) Coconut Curry Milk Chocolate Truffles: I infused milk chocolate and cream with a curry and added toasted coconut before dipping in tempered dark chocolate. Surprisingly yummy!<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WWeBD8b9o0E/Tlj1yUQlrCI/AAAAAAAAALE/bSuFyjrrag0/s1600/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B049.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WWeBD8b9o0E/Tlj1yUQlrCI/AAAAAAAAALE/bSuFyjrrag0/s320/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645532377689467938" border="0" /></a>4) Strawberry lime pistachio and sea salt tea biscuit bark: Say that 20 times! I tempered white chocolate, added a bit of strawberry puree, lime zest, honeyed pistachio's and sea salt. I then took every day tea biscuits and poured boiled butter and white and brown sugar over it before baking for 9 minutes. Once removed from the oven I poured my chocolate over it, spread it and froze it until it could break into bark. Next time I would wait for the cookies to cool completely before pouring the chocolate on top. I think the heat of the cookies took away from my tempered chocolate look. Otherwise delicious!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eKwEO1iOWmw/Tlj18U2BvJI/AAAAAAAAALM/D-04i50OI0A/s1600/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B074.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eKwEO1iOWmw/Tlj18U2BvJI/AAAAAAAAALM/D-04i50OI0A/s320/August%2BChallenge%2B2011%2B074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645532549645188242" border="0" /></a>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-30031263568021136072011-08-11T06:18:00.000-07:002011-08-11T06:32:40.438-07:005 AM MuffinsIs it correct to say '5 AM'? Or, should it be '5am' or '5 am'? This is probably one of those times when Google would come in handy. What did we do before Google? Did we just ask each other (kind of like I'm attempting right now)?
<br />
<br />It's 9:21 AM on Thursday, August 11th. I have been up for 4 hours and 21 minutes, after about 6 hours of dream filled, fitful sleep. This is actually not bad for me these days. My belly is really big and my body can't stay comfortable for more than 45 mins, max. As a result, I've built a pillow fortress, which helps, but needs major adjusting each time I shift positions. When i woke up this morning to shift, I was so hungry that I just had to get up.
<br />
<br />Getting up so early definitely has it's perks: the house is nice at 5 AM. Plus, there is no real rush to do anything. Time takes on a slower quality, which feels rare these days.
<br />
<br />To fill my slow moving time, I decided to make muffins. Spelt hemp apple walnut muffins. They were good and baked sort of quickly, which was nice since I was so hungry.
<br />
<br />I woke Charlie up with the promise of a hot muffin if he would come downstairs and hang out with me (it was almost time to get up anyway). He seemed to be fairly game, without much convincing. So downstairs we went and muffins we ate.
<br />
<br />Here is the recipe, which i found online and adapted by adding the hemp and oil:
<br />
<br /><strong>Dry (mix in one bowl):</strong>
<br />1 1/2 cups of spelt flour
<br />3/4 brown sugar
<br />1/2 cup hemp protien powder
<br />1/3 cup ground flax
<br />1 tsp soda
<br />1 tsp baking powder
<br />1/2 tsp salt
<br />2 tsp cinnamon
<br />pinch of nutmeg
<br />
<br /><strong>Wet (mix in other bowl):</strong>
<br />1/2 cup yogurt
<br />1 cup almond milk
<br />1 diced apple
<br />1 beaten egg
<br />1 tbsp oil
<br />1 tsp vanilla
<br />walnuts
<br />
<br />Mix until just blended and scoop into muffin papers. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 25 mins at 325 (or until knife comes out clean).
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-29154872604874958802011-07-29T09:46:00.000-07:002011-07-29T10:01:09.067-07:00Make Me Make TheseThe daring baker's challenge is definitely helping me to go beyond my normal baking scope (which, to be honest, has consisted of about a bizzillion batches of chocolate chip cookies lately - I blame it on the pregnancy!)<br /><br />There are so many things that i want to try to bake, but...I just never get around to them for one reason or another. No more. Here is a list of items, not in order. Family, friends, any requests??<br /><br />1. Donuts<br />2. Chelsea buns<br />3. Croissants<br />4. Some kind of semifreddo<br />5. Something kind of visually challenging. Maybe with fondant, perhaps themed for a holiday<br />6. Oh, and this:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/bestof/toprecipes/bestcakerecipes/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275">http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/bestof/toprecipes/bestcakerecipes/recipes/food/views/Double-Chocolate-Layer-Cake-101275</a><br /><br />My dear sister Katie likes chocolate <em>a bit</em> AND her birthday is coming up in 4 weeks. Seems like the perfect excuse to knock one off my list. If the baby holds off, I will definitely make this one by the end of AUgust. I'll post how it turns out.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-7509072203814656082011-07-28T08:23:00.000-07:002011-11-01T06:30:04.830-07:00Daring Baker's July Challenge: Fresh Fraisiers<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGiEK1ja1GQ/TjGBNt9e59I/AAAAAAAAAKk/aL8yk8RwGj0/s1600/Lisa%2B020.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634426681492957138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WGiEK1ja1GQ/TjGBNt9e59I/AAAAAAAAAKk/aL8yk8RwGj0/s400/Lisa%2B020.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSkrqLdhGNU/TjGBNWy2wlI/AAAAAAAAAKc/bb7ZlIXX1b0/s1600/Lisa%2B018.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634426675274367570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSkrqLdhGNU/TjGBNWy2wlI/AAAAAAAAAKc/bb7ZlIXX1b0/s400/Lisa%2B018.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRTu98kvtuw/TjGA9zosizI/AAAAAAAAAKU/1YjZ5rZDEsY/s1600/Lisa%2B007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634426408138476338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRTu98kvtuw/TjGA9zosizI/AAAAAAAAAKU/1YjZ5rZDEsY/s400/Lisa%2B007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0yH2VX8NsrU/TjGA9kJ8kDI/AAAAAAAAAKM/32Khi2CwPMo/s1600/Lisa%2B006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634426403982970930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0yH2VX8NsrU/TjGA9kJ8kDI/AAAAAAAAAKM/32Khi2CwPMo/s400/Lisa%2B006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R9ewEl8ngAY/TjGA9RSJWHI/AAAAAAAAAKE/VkvRyJidVmQ/s1600/Lisa%2B005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634426398917089394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R9ewEl8ngAY/TjGA9RSJWHI/AAAAAAAAAKE/VkvRyJidVmQ/s400/Lisa%2B005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kowYqlpx-eo/TjGA9Az6X0I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/X0Yrf64Namc/s1600/Lisa%2B004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634426394495311682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kowYqlpx-eo/TjGA9Az6X0I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/X0Yrf64Namc/s400/Lisa%2B004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KQc2ckIxauw/TjGA8_Sn3dI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/JZxi-gmM8xE/s1600/Lisa%2B002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634426394087251410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KQc2ckIxauw/TjGA8_Sn3dI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/JZxi-gmM8xE/s400/Lisa%2B002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>This was my very first challenge since joining the Daring Baker's. For those of you that don't know about it, it's an online community of baking enthusiasts who eagerly await a monthly challenge. Once the challenge is assigned, 27 days are given to make the item. Variations are allowed, but certain guidelines must also be followed.<br />For my Fraisier, I stayed fairly close to tradition but decided to make my own almond paste. Most almond paste recipes use egg whites but there's no cooking involved. Since I'm pregnant, I didn't use the egg whites. Instead I boiled water with corn syrup and sugar and then blended it with ground almonds and icing sugar to make a paste. The paste was a bit intense so i cut it with whipped cream and made the icing you see on the top of the cake.</div><br /><br /><div>Overall this was a big success and the pastry cream was divine. While it was a really light and summery cake (and a great use of strawberries), it was, as the challenge promised, very labour intensive and took about 4 hours of active time. So...this may be the only Fraisier that I ever make!</div><br /><br /><div>The recipe info is here (I used the basic chiffon cake and it was very, very light and airy - I will definitely use this recipe again): <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/fresh-fraisiers">http://thedaringkitchen.com/recipe/fresh-fraisiers</a></div><br /><div>Jana of <a href="http://www.cherryteacakes.com/" jquery1311866645652="31">Cherry Tea Cakes</a> was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook <a href="http://www.tartinebakery.com/" jquery1311866645652="32">Tartine.</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-54767315511442156412011-07-22T13:35:00.001-07:002011-07-28T09:05:48.383-07:00Pretty Old Things<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmA3_vw4IDI/Tinhr1ThqzI/AAAAAAAAAJk/cdrTfU7zD1A/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B061%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632280952163117874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AmA3_vw4IDI/Tinhr1ThqzI/AAAAAAAAAJk/cdrTfU7zD1A/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B061%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5rYOGnjSz_U/TinhriY8UHI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Ou29DiC7f20/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B062%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632280947085561970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5rYOGnjSz_U/TinhriY8UHI/AAAAAAAAAJc/Ou29DiC7f20/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B062%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dQbJHMQ0Sak/TinhrN4spGI/AAAAAAAAAJU/nkq9OyLpFxc/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B063%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632280941581608034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dQbJHMQ0Sak/TinhrN4spGI/AAAAAAAAAJU/nkq9OyLpFxc/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B063%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j6Cos1MK-pU/TinhsEGwhMI/AAAAAAAAAJs/j_I-wMxqFdw/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B060%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632280956136096962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j6Cos1MK-pU/TinhsEGwhMI/AAAAAAAAAJs/j_I-wMxqFdw/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B060%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A while ago we discovered Jadite and we never looked back. Now we are building our Jadite stock, trying to get a complete set of dishware, mugs, and the odd mixing bowl.<br /><br />Jadite was made by Fire King and is a remarkably resilient. It was probably sold as a low end product, but today it's pretty pricey to get. The trouble is that they don't make it anymore, so there's limited stock and a surprising amount of interest - well, I'm not surprised I guess.<br /><br />Much to our horror, Martha Stewart further popularized our little addiction when she launched her line of jadite inspired items. Her stuff is nice, but it's just not the same...<br /><br />I'm also loving the Pyrex mixing bowls. My favourite is the wheat design, but all of them are really cool.<br /><br />A while back I posted about the silver from my great grandmother. The question was whether or not to start using it every day and run it through the dishwasher. We decided to go for it and it's great. The pieces have some tarnish as a result, but the tarnish is pretty and it feels good to get use out of it.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-59362579903104705182011-07-22T13:02:00.000-07:002011-07-22T13:34:58.596-07:00Updated bathroom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P1Z-di4bn-E/Tine2d0rO4I/AAAAAAAAAJE/5oGag2Of6Dg/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B054%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P1Z-di4bn-E/Tine2d0rO4I/AAAAAAAAAJE/5oGag2Of6Dg/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B054%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632277836303383426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pXU7BHKBTQ/Tine2ubcmQI/AAAAAAAAAJM/feRFMpZ1JwU/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B058%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1pXU7BHKBTQ/Tine2ubcmQI/AAAAAAAAAJM/feRFMpZ1JwU/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B058%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632277840760969474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NZR0NNo6he0/TinauUPe7uI/AAAAAAAAAI0/MKxasq-ErfM/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B044%2Bcomp.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MBBQKsAp5C8/Tinat6a5bYI/AAAAAAAAAIs/buRVWF65iH0/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B043%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MBBQKsAp5C8/Tinat6a5bYI/AAAAAAAAAIs/buRVWF65iH0/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B043%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632273291314556290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FtFeGn4UR0c/TinathGewlI/AAAAAAAAAIk/2ONQwTkiG8E/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B046%2Bcomp.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SbcSSky6N4g/TinaurGJupI/AAAAAAAAAI8/d5E4hr-PjXE/s1600/Bathroom%2BBefore.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SbcSSky6N4g/TinaurGJupI/AAAAAAAAAI8/d5E4hr-PjXE/s400/Bathroom%2BBefore.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632273304380881554" border="0" /></a><br />(The picture above is the before picture, but without the ugly shower curtain. It's hard to see, but the original tile was pretty hideous)<br /></div><br />Our old bathroom was a bit of an illusion. It had been re-done by the previous owner right before he sold the house. Great, right? We quickly learned that it was not so great. The window in the shower wasn't properly water proofed, so needless to say, a bit of a problem <span style="font-style: italic;">in a shower.</span><br /><br />The fixtures were cheap and the vanity much too large for the space. We had to put a shower curtain on both sides of the shower to address the window issue. Ugh. And the thing was, the light through that bathroom window was some of the best light in our house. We needed to do something, and fast!<br /><br />As usual, I had very specific ideas. The tiles needed to be flat faced, with no 'puff' to them. I didn't want to get subway tiles and I knew I wanted white. Long story short, I searched forever and finally found the over sized laser cut tiles we used. We didn't want to replace the tub, as it was a deep soaker tub and it seemed crazy to get rid of it. The trouble was that it had a distracting wavy thing on the front, which I thought would not look good with the clean line look we wanted. This meant building out and tiling in front of the tub to cover it up. the contractor was skeptical, but he did a great job and it totally works!<br /><br />Once we gutted it, we breathed a sigh of satisfied relief about deciding to re-do the bathroom. The original owner put the tile right on the dry wall! The sub floor was unsafe! He dropped the ceiling by over a foot just to accommodate the vent pipe! What a lazy trickster!<br /><br />Once again, i wanted something minimal with clean lines but that still had a vintage vibe. We wanted to maximize the light and scale things according to the somewhat small space. While I was desperate for polished nickel fixtures, they were so pricey and just not the right choice for this house. Instead we focused on 1920's style fixtures and figuring out how to work with the modern over sized tiles so that they would work with the vintage stuff. The solution to that was to brick lay them (much like a traditional subway tile).<br /><br />We chose a limestone floor in rectangular 'French Linen' (from '<span style="font-style: italic;">Stone Tile</span>'), as although we loved the classic but now very popular marble and hex options, we didn't want to be trendy.<br /><br />A glass shower wall completed the look and now the space is very light filled and a pleasure to shower in. And the best part is that everything was done properly, so we don't have to worry about water coming down into the dining room!from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-84370883468717569632011-07-22T12:41:00.000-07:002011-07-22T12:45:32.869-07:00Bird Mobile<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JzjfRmp30bg/TinTVhYpEpI/AAAAAAAAAHE/Yf1Tdt1N7eo/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B245%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JzjfRmp30bg/TinTVhYpEpI/AAAAAAAAAHE/Yf1Tdt1N7eo/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B245%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632265175695954578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZAxTOeiUsE/TinTVVqwwjI/AAAAAAAAAG8/eI0sCYaZz70/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B244%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZAxTOeiUsE/TinTVVqwwjI/AAAAAAAAAG8/eI0sCYaZz70/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B244%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632265172550730290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pU-b0-ZCU2k/TinTWAz-pJI/AAAAAAAAAHM/vxWcyxNR4Ks/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B246%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pU-b0-ZCU2k/TinTWAz-pJI/AAAAAAAAAHM/vxWcyxNR4Ks/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B246%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632265184132113554" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This mobile is truly one of a kind. It was made by my sister Julia and her partner Emery and was such a labour of love. Hours of hand sewing resulted in this AMAZING mobile. Each bird is a unique combo of fabric and personality and the branches are beautifully lacquered.<br /><br />I can't wait for our little guy to lay his eyes on this master piece! Julia said she found this modible craft on a blog, so I'll see if I can get the information from her to post.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-77082991746124591142011-07-22T10:38:00.001-07:002011-07-22T12:57:02.196-07:00Living room re-do<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ER8eE6rnWXo/TinWBaTbt4I/AAAAAAAAAIU/BFs3IS8K6F4/s1600/DiningRoom%2BBefore.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ER8eE6rnWXo/TinWBaTbt4I/AAAAAAAAAIU/BFs3IS8K6F4/s400/DiningRoom%2BBefore.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632268128732559234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qyJaaWArSVs/TinWBFovatI/AAAAAAAAAIM/Bmvn4RUkfEs/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B049%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qyJaaWArSVs/TinWBFovatI/AAAAAAAAAIM/Bmvn4RUkfEs/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B049%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632268123184786130" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gx8L_T1asQs/TinWAwYdS-I/AAAAAAAAAIE/JcX9_cv9ipA/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B047%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gx8L_T1asQs/TinWAwYdS-I/AAAAAAAAAIE/JcX9_cv9ipA/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B047%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632268117479345122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3_7o6Mjgg0/TinWBjG2neI/AAAAAAAAAIc/lFLgDPYoons/s1600/LivingRoom%2Bbefore.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P3_7o6Mjgg0/TinWBjG2neI/AAAAAAAAAIc/lFLgDPYoons/s400/LivingRoom%2Bbefore.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632268131095715298" border="0" /></a><br />When we first moved in, our living dining room was a boring box. It drove me crazy! I knew this house was meant to have character, as it was originally built in the 20's, but it had all been stripped out.<br /><br />When we added our furniture, it just felt dark and old lady-ish because we had so much wood and antique stuff. I worked on Charlie for AGES to re-do the living room (he doesn't like change) and finally he was on board. We're almost done, but this is it so far:<br /><br /><ul><li>Painted walls 'Delaware Putty' and trim 'Dune White' (Benjamin Moore)</li><li>Added wooden shutters to windows</li><li>Removed pre-fab banister and had one custom made, true to the era of the house</li><li>Added a foyer, with a stained glass transom, circa 1890 something</li><li>Found a great vintage fireplace (<span style="font-style: italic;">A Matter of Time</span> on Jones), also from the 20's and then sourced a time appropriate tile surround from an architectural salvage (<span style="font-style: italic;">The Door Store</span>)</li><li>Changed all the lighting</li><li>Replaced all of the furniture, mixing high and low, new and old</li><li>We got the living room chairs from a cool retro store in Dundas, ON (Charlie's find!!)</li><li>The cabinet in the dining area is from an antique fair - it's an old wash stand</li><li>The couch and pillows are Crate and barrel and the dining room table is Ikea</li><li>The dining chairs are from the Queen street antique shop and originated from an old school auditorium in Toronto</li><li>The little bird I got in Stockholm</li><li>The dining room photo was a gift from our friends Sanjay and Nicole (taken by Sanjay)</li><li>We replaced the hideous cut glass front door insert with a simple frosted glass pane</li></ul><br />Next we're adding a big piece of art to the dining room wall and a few more odds and ends...all fun and all worth the work!<br /><br />Oh, and we funded some of it by selling our old furniture on Craigslist!!! Love Craigslist.<br /><br />The pics are a bit mixed up, but the before ones are the ones with no furniture. It's funny, it looks brighter before, but I think that's due to the time of day...from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-66882015780027185252011-07-22T10:25:00.000-07:002011-11-01T10:58:30.191-07:00Cottage Classics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-znEp1rTRrh4/Tim1cIiRLJI/AAAAAAAAAF8/MfytxVGwdpY/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B008%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-znEp1rTRrh4/Tim1cIiRLJI/AAAAAAAAAF8/MfytxVGwdpY/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B008%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632232303935696018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJVIaxNmb4A/Tim1b4n5WlI/AAAAAAAAAF0/jTPp5JWJh7U/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B010%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJVIaxNmb4A/Tim1b4n5WlI/AAAAAAAAAF0/jTPp5JWJh7U/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B010%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632232299664333394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bv808VxzdPY/Tim1biKjcDI/AAAAAAAAAFs/IUddI110Q8Q/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B016%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bv808VxzdPY/Tim1biKjcDI/AAAAAAAAAFs/IUddI110Q8Q/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B016%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632232293635682354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fr1EFgPHbDs/Tim1bWxBdtI/AAAAAAAAAFk/P1s0UA_e13g/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B018%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fr1EFgPHbDs/Tim1bWxBdtI/AAAAAAAAAFk/P1s0UA_e13g/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B018%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632232290575808210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uggaT_K3Fno/Tim1cfkuopI/AAAAAAAAAGE/Vvk7NOrWpXQ/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B009%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uggaT_K3Fno/Tim1cfkuopI/AAAAAAAAAGE/Vvk7NOrWpXQ/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B009%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632232310120030866" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The cottage is all about food for us. We have so much free time that it's easy to cook bigger meals and we like to eat and eat and eat!<br /><br />I'm a big soup maker and beans are big in our lives. Here are a couple of items we made last week at Kennisis Lake:<br /><br />Corn Chowder:<br /><br /><ul><li>I roasted 4 tomatoes and 6 ears of corn on the bbq</li><li>In the meantime I sauteed onions, garlic , celery and fennel<br /></li><li>Then I added thyme, salt and pepper and chopped waxy white potatoes (2)</li><li>Then I added the corn and tomato and a couple of veggie soup cubes and water</li><li>I boiled and simmered for ages then pulsed it in the blender until chunky</li><li>Finally I added fresh basil and salt and pepper to taste</li></ul><br />This was delicious!! Next time I'm going to add a bit of chipoltle or maybe even a touch of liquid smoke.<br /><br />Next we made quesadilla snacks:<br /><br />Sauteed mushrooms, onions and garlic (in butter)<br />Spread on soft tortilla with gouda<br />Add fresh cilantro<br /><br />Grill on bbq!<br /><br />Also pictured are adobe beans (no recipe - sorry)from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-2951401147086745202011-07-22T10:18:00.000-07:002011-07-22T10:24:56.394-07:00Apricot Basil Shortbread Tart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZEFl8KWO3U/TimyX0V-60I/AAAAAAAAAFU/8ZgbtQxP97g/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B001%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZEFl8KWO3U/TimyX0V-60I/AAAAAAAAAFU/8ZgbtQxP97g/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B001%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632228931261098818" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bcE4Bffadc/TimyYPbcKwI/AAAAAAAAAFc/fXA_k-cmeJo/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B003%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9bcE4Bffadc/TimyYPbcKwI/AAAAAAAAAFc/fXA_k-cmeJo/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B003%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632228938531744514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is a summertime favourite in our house. We wait for the apricots to come in season and then I whip this little gem together. The crust uses a hard boiled yolk, which is what interested me about this recipe in the first place.<br /><br />I find this tastes a bit better with a touch of extra salt in the crust and absolutely no more basil than is called for in the recipe. The end result is really pretty - I usually serve it on a dark wooden plate and sprinkle it with a bit of basil for the green colour (I didn't do that in this photo though).<br /><br />Here's the recipe, which I found online and belongs to <span class="summary">Roy Shvartzapel, a pastry chef at </span><span class="summary">Cyrus in Healdsburg, California</span>:<br /><br /><div class="ACThead6">Ingredients</div> <div class="recipedetailslineitemhead">Pastry Cream</div> <ul><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1 cup whole milk </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 5 tablespoon granulated sugar </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1/4 cup packed basil leaves with stems </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 2 large egg yolks </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 2 tablespoons unsalted butter </div> </div> </li></ul> <div class="recipedetailslineitemhead">Pastry</div> <ul><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1 hard-boiled egg yolk </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1 stick plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1/4 cup potato starch </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt </div> </div> </li></ul> <div class="recipedetailslineitemhead">Topping</div> <ul><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 6 apricots (1 1/4 pounds), halved </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 3 tablespoon granulated sugar </div> </div> </li><li class="gs_ingredient"> <div class="gs_item_row"> <div class="floatleft ingredient"> 1/3 cup apricot jam, melted </div> </div> </li></ul> <div class="ACThead6">Directions</div> <span class="instructions"> <div class="step"> <div class="ACThead4">Make the Pastry Cream</div><br /> <div class="stepbystepInstruction"> In a saucepan, combine 3/4 cup of the milk with the sugar and basil; bring to a simmer. Remove the milk from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Remove the basil and squeeze any milk back into the pan; discard the basil.</div> </div> <div class="step"> <div class="stepbystepInstruction"> In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of milk with the yolks and cornstarch until smooth. Slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture into the warm milk; bring to a simmer over moderate heat, whisking constantly until very thick, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Scrape the cream into a bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate until chilled, 2 hours.</div> </div> <div class="step"> <div class="ACThead4">Make the Pastry</div><br /> <div class="stepbystepInstruction"> Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . Spray a 14-by-4 1/2-inch rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the hard-boiled egg yolk with the butter and sugar at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, potato starch and salt and beat at low speed until just combined. Using lightly floured hands, press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the side of the tart pan. Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes, or until chilled.</div> </div> <div class="step"> <div class="stepbystepInstruction"> Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, until golden. Transfer the crust to a rack and let stand until cooled, about 1 hour.</div> </div> <div class="step"> <div class="ACThead4">Make the Topping</div><br /> <div class="stepbystepInstruction"> Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the apricot halves cut side up on the paper and sprinkle all over with the sugar. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the apricots are tender and lightly browned. Let the apricots stand until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.</div> </div> <div class="step"> <div class="stepbystepInstruction"> Unmold the crust and transfer it to a serving plate. Using a small offset spatula, spread the cream evenly in the crust. Arrange the apricots on the cream, cut sides down, and brush with the melted jam. Cut the tart crosswise into strips and serve at once.</div> </div> <div class="step"> <div class="ACThead4">Notes</div><br /> <div class="stepbystepInstruction"> To make a 9-inch round tart, press the dough into a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Use 10 apricots and 1/4 cup of sugar for sprinkling. Double the pastry cream. Bake for 40 minutes.</div> </div></span>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-37468549055980960342011-07-22T09:39:00.000-07:002011-07-28T12:15:38.975-07:00Making Room for Baby!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MquCiwiyvfs/Timw1zcfOGI/AAAAAAAAAFE/g35YVVaSqK0/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B037%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632227247392766050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MquCiwiyvfs/Timw1zcfOGI/AAAAAAAAAFE/g35YVVaSqK0/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B037%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvFGR4PiHQ/Timw14N0PbI/AAAAAAAAAE8/K4nOaHvqPJU/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B039%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632227248673406386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3WvFGR4PiHQ/Timw14N0PbI/AAAAAAAAAE8/K4nOaHvqPJU/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B039%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZhA1rsWivg/Timw2R0t7DI/AAAAAAAAAFM/v1HctmG7RMU/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B038%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632227255547456562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZhA1rsWivg/Timw2R0t7DI/AAAAAAAAAFM/v1HctmG7RMU/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B038%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MuU2QETBAu0/Timr81xwqiI/AAAAAAAAAEs/gB48Gddqees/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B239%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632221870719805986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MuU2QETBAu0/Timr81xwqiI/AAAAAAAAAEs/gB48Gddqees/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B239%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GpFJSWgSYPs/Timr8GLDiTI/AAAAAAAAAEk/P75H9p2fIyc/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B237%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632221857940998450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GpFJSWgSYPs/Timr8GLDiTI/AAAAAAAAAEk/P75H9p2fIyc/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B237%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aaZOVS-2ubU/Timr74ChJtI/AAAAAAAAAEc/IrBNEBsebwc/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B233%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632221854147094226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aaZOVS-2ubU/Timr74ChJtI/AAAAAAAAAEc/IrBNEBsebwc/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B233%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wEtdxZe_M5c/Timr7gz4HQI/AAAAAAAAAEU/YNLoPLYx15E/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B232%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632221847911668994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wEtdxZe_M5c/Timr7gz4HQI/AAAAAAAAAEU/YNLoPLYx15E/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B232%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxM7jqzGick/Timr9G0hA_I/AAAAAAAAAE0/JFGBwMBf0ec/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B241%2Bcomp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632221875294766066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dxM7jqzGick/Timr9G0hA_I/AAAAAAAAAE0/JFGBwMBf0ec/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B241%2Bcomp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Designing the baby's room was challenging but a good time. After obsessing over EVERY element I decided to make some stuff from scratch, rather than buy. My overall goal was a really sweet room that was definitely 'baby' but not too matchy or too gendered. It was important to have a really minimalist look that felt tied together and had some of the vintage echoes from the rest of the house.<br /><br />We got the room painted in good old 'Cloud white' (Benjamin Moore) and bought the crib and dresser from Ikea. The curtains are in 'Milk Pail' and they're Martha Stewart. I made all of the art and floor pillows, with the exception of a velvet grey one that I bought, we re-purposed an old vintage chair, and I bought these cute little grey sheep skin rugs for the floor. My friend Rachel bought us a beautiful blanket for our shower and it fit in beautifully with everything.<br /><br />The pictures where super easy to make:<br /><br />Take vintage wall paper or scrapbook paper and cut out any shape you want. Glue it to card stock and frame it. How simple is that?? And not pricey at all.<br /><br />For the pillows, i used the same shapes as I did for the art, and just used fabric paint in the palette of the nursery. Unfortunately, the fabric paint colours dried a little too bright, as compared with how they looked in the bottle. I wanted something a little more muted, but it wasn't the end of the world. I ended up making some chocolate brown elephant pillows for my sister's nursery too - it was a really unique and easy gift!from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-25544697363971173222011-07-22T09:28:00.000-07:002011-07-22T12:59:21.706-07:00Whoopie Pies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--SoNcIWn2TY/TimnmO_oxAI/AAAAAAAAAEE/7W5CiNtHUcc/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B042%2Bcomp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--SoNcIWn2TY/TimnmO_oxAI/AAAAAAAAAEE/7W5CiNtHUcc/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B042%2Bcomp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632217084305392642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TtD4TKWnS6M/TimnmpWLttI/AAAAAAAAAEM/tf9WV8ImyXM/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B043%2BCOMP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TtD4TKWnS6M/TimnmpWLttI/AAAAAAAAAEM/tf9WV8ImyXM/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B043%2BCOMP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632217091379279570" border="0" /></a><br />Cupcakes have been SO popular, macaroons are everywhere in North America and, even marshmallows are now having their day.<br /><br />But it's the whoopie pie bandwagon I wanted to jump on. Everyone seems to be doing it. Verdict? Tasty but I really don't see what the wild craze is about. It's just a puffy little cookie with some oreo like icing in the middle. Yes, there are a million possibilities in flavour...I get that. Sure, it tastes good - in the way almost all baked goods tend to. Maybe it's nostalgic for some people. And, I suppose they look kind of novel and exciting. Yet, as a baked good item, they really don't do much for me. I'm over it.<br /><br />Maybe my indifference is the reason that i can't for the life of me find the recipe I used for this! There are TONS online though.from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-1753823986871401942011-07-22T09:20:00.000-07:002011-07-22T09:28:11.660-07:00Peach Upside Down Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FvAN9xJURA4/TimkyGqt13I/AAAAAAAAAD0/yl2GvEId8VI/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B088%2BCOMP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FvAN9xJURA4/TimkyGqt13I/AAAAAAAAAD0/yl2GvEId8VI/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B088%2BCOMP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632213989693708146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdhLBtThUcw/TimkyUCbPnI/AAAAAAAAAD8/GtIiH-8H5ZY/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B087%2BCOMP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OdhLBtThUcw/TimkyUCbPnI/AAAAAAAAAD8/GtIiH-8H5ZY/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B087%2BCOMP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632213993282813554" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Another first: an upside down cake!<br /><br />I made this to bring to dinner with Katy and Tim (Charlie's parents) and it was fun to make. This cake was made in the off season - maybe in May? - but peaches are amazing now, so seize the moment!<br /><br />This recipe came from <span style="font-style: italic;">Style at Home</span> I think. I modified it along the way, but failed to write down what I did...<br /><br /><p><strong>Ingredients</strong><br /><em>Topping:</em><br /></p><ul><li>1/4 cup unsalted butter</li><li>3/4 cup golden brown sugar</li><li>4 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each</li></ul><em><br />Cake:</em><br /><ul><li>11/2 cups all-purpose flour</li><li>2 tsp baking powder</li><li>1/2 cup unsalted butter</li><li>1 cup granulated sugar</li><li>2 large free-range eggs</li><li>2 tsp pure vanilla extract</li><li>1/2 cup 35% cream </li></ul><p><br /><strong>Directions</strong><br />1 Preheat oven to 350ºF.<br /><br />2 To make the topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted. Pour the mixture into a 9" round cake pan with 2" sides; spread carefully with a spatula to distribute evenly along the bottom of the pan. Place the peaches in a circular pattern to cover the bottom of the pan. Set aside.<br /><br /><strong>3</strong> For the cake, stir together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and cream, and beat well until combined. Gently stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated.<br /><br /><strong>4</strong> Spoon the batter evenly over the peaches in the cake pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake on the centre rack of the preheated oven for 55 minutes, until the top is set and springy. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before turning out upside down onto a plate. Allow to cool before serving. Serve with softly whipped cream if desired.</p>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2427865504726464087.post-13913684906686413122011-07-22T09:04:00.000-07:002011-07-22T09:20:17.957-07:00Charlie's Bday Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l73s15brngs/TimjOj9G1AI/AAAAAAAAADs/Fzb7F-0mU8g/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B204%2BCOMP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l73s15brngs/TimjOj9G1AI/AAAAAAAAADs/Fzb7F-0mU8g/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B204%2BCOMP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632212279568552962" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QcZjzL_xN0Q/TimjG-umszI/AAAAAAAAADk/ExC5ulgPbWA/s1600/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B214%2BCOMP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QcZjzL_xN0Q/TimjG-umszI/AAAAAAAAADk/ExC5ulgPbWA/s400/NYE%2Band%2BSpring%2B214%2BCOMP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632212149316530994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Every year I bake Charlie a birthday cake and I always give him the choice of any cake he wants. He never fails to challenge me and this year was no different. he asked for a carrot cake, which i had never made before. Specifically, he asked for a carrot cake <span style="font-style: italic;">injected</span> with some sort of cream cheese icing. I pictured a giant carrot Twinkie (it turns out he was thinking jelly doughnut).<br /><br />While I hate to disappoint, and I'm all for creative vision, I ultimately decided on a traditional layer cake. I couldn't imagine un-iced single layer cake with icing on the inside that wouldn't be dry. The thought of an iced layer cake that was also injected with icing seemed a little intense. So, sadly, the carrot twinkie was never to be.<br /><br />Instead, I found this non vegan recipe online:<br /><br />http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrot-Cake-with-Maple-Cream-Cheese-Icing-102155<br /><br />I skipped the maple frosting and used my own cream cheese frosting recipe:<br /><br /><div class="item-list"><ul class="content-multigroup-group-ingredient"><li class="ingredient first"> 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature</li><li class="ingredient"> 3-4 cups confectioners' sugar (approx - I don't measure)<br /></li><li class="ingredient"> 1/4 cup milk</li><li class="ingredient last"> 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</li><li class="ingredient last">3/4 of a brick of philly cream cheese</li></ul>Blend with hand blender and scale up or down in volume depending on preferences!<br /><br />The cake was a big success and I will definitely make this again and again. I'm a carrot cake maker now!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>from scratchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16051955339567656354noreply@blogger.com0