Whoopie Pies

Cupcakes have been SO popular, macaroons are everywhere in North America and, even marshmallows are now having their day.

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.

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.

Peach Upside Down Cake

Another first: an upside down cake!

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!

This recipe came from Style at Home I think. I modified it along the way, but failed to write down what I did...

Ingredients
Topping:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup golden brown sugar
• 4 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 8 wedges each

Cake:

• 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup 35% cream

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350ºF.

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.

3 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.

4 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.

Charlie's Bday Cake

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 injected with some sort of cream cheese icing. I pictured a giant carrot Twinkie (it turns out he was thinking jelly doughnut).

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.

Instead, I found this non vegan recipe online:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrot-Cake-with-Maple-Cream-Cheese-Icing-102155

I skipped the maple frosting and used my own cream cheese frosting recipe:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3-4 cups confectioners' sugar (approx - I don't measure)
  
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 of a brick of philly cream cheese

Blend with hand blender and scale up or down in volume depending on preferences!

The cake was a big success and I will definitely make this again and again. I'm a carrot cake maker now!

Bootie love

After cruising Etsy for anything crocheted, I found these adorable little hand made booties and baby shoes. They are made by a woman in the states and I haven't seen anything like them in stores. I bought 12 pairs. And a hat. In defense of my sanity (and I know babies don't actually need boots and shoes), I gave away 9 pairs.



Check out the Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/people/JCrochetShop

Can't believe it's July!

Okay, so here's the thing...I've actually been blogging all this time - in a way. I've been saving up pictures and ideas and just never got around to posting. As a result, I've got a lot to post today :)

Since my last post I became pregnant and am getting really close to the big day! Suddenly nursery decor has become a real focus and I've been doing some crafting for the baby's room. As usual, I've been baking up a storm (and eating up a storm...)

Coconut lime salad

We went to a restaurant called KoKo last night (www.kokomontreal.com) and had a salad that was truly memorable. While it was still fresh in my mind, I wanted to try to re-create it. Here is what I came up with:

Dressing:

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk

Grated zest of 1 lime

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2-1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon chile oil

Sea salt

Toasted sweetened coconut (2 tablespoon ish)

Salad:

2 cups baby arugula

1/4 cup green onion, cut to about 3/4 inch per piece

1/2 (over flowing) cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

This is definitely a keeper. I'll probably play around with the ratios, but love the overall combination.

Gold or silver?

I just saw this beautiful gold flatware posted on www.apartmenttherapy.com and wanted to talk about it. It seems like silver has been the 'gold standard' in flatware forever and I think it's high time we shake things up. Personally, I really like the warm look of gold and brass (and polished nickel!!). In fact, I sometimes wonder why shades of rose gold aren't more popular in jewelry.

My mother gave me my great-grandmother's silver for a wedding gift and I love it. I want to use it everyday but have grown afraid to do so. Afraid of the time it would take to hand wash it and afraid of the tarnish that the dishwasher would cause it. As an experiment I selected a 'sacrificial spoon' and have forced it to mingle in the drawer with a lower class of everyday cutlery. I treat it just like the others. It's used with the same frequency and casualness as the rest of the cutlery, and I have run it through the dishwasher countless times. The result? It's tarnished, but the colour is lovely - I almost prefer it to the predictable silver. Charlie has assured me that if I ever grow to hate the colour, we can just polish it and it will return to it's original silver. If this is true, then why is everyone so afraid to use the good silver everyday?? I'm totally going to.

Oh, and why not grab some mismatched vintage silver from the flea market? It's a bargain and I bet the low price would take the sting out if it does get tarnished in the dishwasher.

BTW, more details on the gold flatware are here:
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod35280165&srccode=cii_16776730&cpncode=00-1543496-2&ecid=NMCIProntofeed&003=5839538&010=H1HPB