Author: Dawn

Cheesecake Brownies

Published on by Dawn3 Comments

Sometimes I feel that back-to-school, means back-to-brownies.  I have no idea why, but there always seems to be a reason to make brownies when you have kids at school.  Fortunately I have not had a reason to do that yet – but I am ready when it happens.  More on that later…

Tonight I am going to tell you what happened to me today – it has nothing to do with food, but after you read this, you might need a brownie.  Today I attended an offsite for work – we had a productive meeting for most of the day, although late in the afternoon we all had a little fun – we went kayaking.  It was a spectacular day – actually, very typical of September in Seattle.  Warm and sunny, and perfectly wonderful.  I am one of these people who carries my smart phone everywhere – as my grandmother said recently, “My son-in-law has a little black box that has all the answers” – and it does.  Besides the fact, I don’t like to be away from my email for any length of time – yes, it is a problem.  Well, today I ended up wearing something without any pockets, and so my cell phone ended up in the dry bag instead of with me.  In addition, the ringer was turned off during the meeting – and I forgot to turn it back on when I started kayaking.  We were having a wonderful time, and really taking it all in – in fact, we were the last double back to the dock. When I got to my car, I took a look at my phone, and I had a missed call from my daughter’s school…never a good sign.

There was no message, which I thought was a positive sign, but I decided to call anyway to see what was going on.  After talking to a few people, I was finally able to get a straight story.  My younger daughter attends a Mandarin class after school on Wednesdays – and the teacher picks her up from her classroom with a couple of other students – and they walk to a house about 1/4 mile away.  I guess my daughter got separated from them outside the school, and thought they had gone ahead.  In the meantime, the Mandarin teacher, who doesn’t speak english that well panicked when she didn’t see her.  She immediately took the kids back to the school thinking she went to the bathroom.  When she couldn’t find her, she went to the office.  At this point the four other kids were freaking out too.  This was when they called me.  Oh my gosh, could you have imagined me picking up the phone and learning about this in the middle of a lake?  I think I would have had a nervous breakdown.  No joke.

Fortunately, they called the woman whose house they normally walk to – and she said her husband was home.  They called him, and sure enough, my daughter had walked all the way there by herself, thinking they were already at the house.  She crossed three streets by herself today, and she is six years old.  Thank goodness she was OK – wow, I don’t even want to think about what could have happened.  On the flip side, what an independent girl we have raised.

So, back to these brownies.  I have been wanting to post these for a while, and I figured now would be a perfect time.  I found this recipe in Cooking Light, but like most of the good brownie recipes I find there, you would never know.  The cheesecake topping is not rich like a regular version, but it is perfect with the chocolate.  I will definitely be making these again, and if I do happen to make these for a school event, there might just be a few missing…

Ingredients

Cheesecake:

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 6 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon matzo cake meal
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1  large egg, lightly beaten

Brownies:

  • Cooking spray
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
  • 6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2  large egg whites
  • 1  large egg
  • 3 19/50 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Place 1/4 cup sugar and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute or until smooth. Add matzo meal, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 egg; beat just until blended.

To prepare brownies, coat a 9-inch square metal baking pan with cooking spray; dust with cocoa. Combine chocolates and butter in a microwave-safe dish; microwave at HIGH for 1 minute, stirring every 20 seconds. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, egg whites, and 1 egg. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Stir the chocolate mixture into flour mixture.

Scrape half of the brownie batter into prepared pan. Dot half of cheesecake batter on top. Top with remaining brownie batter. Dot with the remaining cheesecake batter. Swirl batters using the tip of a knife. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Cheesecake Brownies

Dilly Beans

Published on by Dawn6 Comments

There was a time where our garden was overflowing with vegetables.  That was when summers in Seattle would actually get above 80 degrees for a period of time.  As I have written in the many of my recent posts, it seems as if global warming is having the opposite effect in Seattle, and we are having more snow in the winter, and cooler weather in the summer.  My husband still has a beautiful garden, and tries to grow what he can, but we certainly don’t have an overabundance of vegetables – which is really too bad given my recent canning obsession.  Fortunately we have plenty of farmers markets in the area that can feed my habit…

One of my very first favorite “adult” cocktails was the Bloody Mary.  First of all, I LOVED tomato juice as a kid, even better would be a can of V8.  I would take that over soda any day of the week.  In fact, when I was young, and my father would take me into his office, they had cans of these in the refrigerator.  I would drink as many as I could while I was there – I can’t believe all the salt didn’t blow me up like a balloon – ok I digress.  So – since I loved V8 so much, this was the perfect cocktail for me.  I also looked forward to a big celery stick that would give me a little snack as I drank my beverage.  One day I specifically remember getting a Bloody Mary with a pickled bean as the garnish – ok, that just about blew my mind, it was so delicious.  When I saw this recipe in Food in Jars, I immediately thought of that cocktail.  I couldn’t wait to try them.  These are incredible.  They are extremely crispy, and have the perfect dill flavor.  They are almost too good – you can easily polish a jar off without even blinking an eye.  In fact, I think my step-father may have done just that.

So thank goodness for the farmer’s markets – and thanks to that nice stand that dealt with me and my obsessive compulsive behavior – picking out the perfect beans to use.  I think if I did that in my husband’s garden, I would drive him to drink…

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds green beans, trimmed to fit your jars
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 4 teaspoons dill seed (not dill weed)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 1/2 cups white vinegar (5%)
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup pickling salt (use a bit more if you’ve only got kosher)

Preparation

Prep your canning pot by inserting a rack to keep your jars off the bottom of the pot, place pint jars in (wide-mouth pints work best here. A 12 ounce jelly jar is also nice, as it’s a bit taller than a standard pint and makes for less trimming) and fill it with water. Bring to a boil to sterilize while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Wash and trim your beans so that they fit in your jar. If you have particularly long beans, your best bet is to cut them in half, although by doing so, you do lose the visual appeal of having all the beans standing at attending.

Combine vinegar, water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. While it’s heating up, pack your beans into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace (distance between the tops of the beans and the rim of the jar). To each jar, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 clove of garlic and 1 teaspoon dill seeds.

Pour the boiling brine over the beans, making sure to leave that 1/2 inch headspace. Use a plastic knife to remove air bubbles from jar by running it around the interior of the jar. Wipe the rims and apply the lids (which have been sitting in a small saucepan of water at a mere simmer for at least ten minutes in order to soften the sealing compound) and rings.

Process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath (remember that you don’t start timing until the pot has come to a roiling boil).

These beans want to hang out for a least two weeks before eating, to thoroughly develop their flavor.

Makes 4 half-pint jars.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Dilly Beans

Dairy-Free Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Published on by Dawn18 Comments

As I have mentioned many times before, I am a sucker for minis.  I love just about anything that is served in a miniature version.  If practicality didn’t set in, I probably would own a Mini Cooper – I am that bad.  I don’t really consider cupcakes mini cakes though because they are just so mainstream.  I do prefer a cupcake to a slice of cake, but I don’t go nuts over them, like I do other miniatures.  The other month I came across a picture of mini cupcakes in little condiment holders.  I went nuts.  They were just about the cutest things I had ever seen.  There was only one problem, I only know of one place that has those condiment holders, and that is on the east coast.  I actually tried looking for them in Seattle, but had no luck – although I must admit, I didn’t try that hard.  I just kept my eyes opened at certain places, and nothing.

So, this summer when I was back east – we went to that place with these holders – Fred’s – just about the greatest hamburger/hotdog joint there is, and I grabbed a whole bunch of those little cups.  I couldn’t wait to bake some little morsels and test them out.  Then next challenge was to figure out which recipe to use on them.  For some reason, ever since I had made this, I couldn’t stop thinking about how the cake was dairy free, but the icing was not.  Isn’t that such a waste?  If you are dairy-free, that is almost cruel.  So – I decided to go entirely dairy-free this time.  I swear, you would never know it though – the cake is so moist and delicious, and with the marshmallow frosting – it was like eating a mini devil dog.  My grandmother loved these so much, I saw her go through 3 in a matter of minutes.  So – if you are a sucker for minis like me, give these a try – you just have to figure out where to get the cups, the rest is easy – I did all the work for you below.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (3 1/2 ounces)

Marshmallow Frosting

  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat bottom and sides of pan with nonstick spray; line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add oil, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups water; whisk until smooth. Fold in chopped chocolate. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until a tester comes out clean when inserted into center, 35–40 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Marshmallow Frosting

Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan.  Combine the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, water, and cream of tartar in a large bowl.  Set the bowl over the simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

With an electric mixer on high-speed, beat the mixture, still over the simmering water, until thick and fluffy, about 7 minutes.  Beat in the vanilla extract.  Serve this the day it is made as it becomes granular if it sits.

Makes about 3 cups.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Dairy-Free Mini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Peach Jam with Cinnamon and Vanilla

Published on by Dawn6 Comments

What a week, and it is not even over yet.  The first week of school is always filled with so much apprehension, excitement, homework (and I am not talking about for the kids – am I the only one that has mountains of forms to fill out?), that I am glad when it is over.  One more day, I can do it!

So – this is the jam I was talking about.  The jam that changed my life.  See, the other week as I was making the third batch of jam this summer, my husband asked what I was planning to do with all these jars that are starting to fill the pantry.  I told him some of my ideas, and then he looked at me and said, “You better start eating.”  I continued to put the stickers on my tops, and said, “But I don’t like jam.”  I confessed, and he just started laughing.  I know – I have no idea why I am obsessed with making jam, when I don’t even like the stuff?  Now, it is not that I hate it, but I certainly don’t crave it (unlike pickles, which I cannot get enough of).  I did love the blueberry jam I made, but that was definitely a new experience for me, and at that point it didn’t change my life.  If I was going to eat jam, that would definitely be what I choose – but for the most part, I don’t choose jam.

That was before I made this jam.  I saw this in the Food in Jars book, and it looked like all the jam I make – delicious, but not for me – for jam lovers.  This jam comes from a different planet.  I could eat it with a spoon, it is that good.  I just made my daughter’s peanut butter sandwich for lunch tomorrow (after she requested it with the Peach Jam), and I licked the knife dry.  Who am I?  Needless to say, where do you think I am going to be first thing on Saturday morning?  Back at the farmer’s market buying more peaches – and I suggest you do the same.  This is the best jam I have ever had, hands down.  I might just need to move to Georgia…

Ingredients

  • 10 cups of peaches, peeled and chopped
  • 6 cups of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 vanilla bean, split
  • 2 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 2 packets (1 box) liquid pectin

Preparation

Fill your canning pot with water and begin to bring it to temperature. Wash your jars and rings in warm soapy water and set aside. Put your lids in a small pot of water and heat (but do not boil) in order to soften the sealing compound.

Add peaches and sugar to a large, non-reactive pot. Stir so that the peaches begin to release their juice and mingle with the sugar. Bring to a boil and add cinnamon, seeds from the vanilla bean, lemon zest and juice and let jam continue to cook for about fifteen minutes. If the fruit hasn’t broken down much after that time is up, use a potato masher or immersion blender (taking care not to burn yourself with hot jam) to break down the chunks. Add pectin and bring to a rolling boil for a full five minutes.

Turn off the heat under the jam and fill jars. Wipe rims and apply lids. Screw on the bands and lower into the water. Process in the hot water bath 10 minutes. When time is up, remove from water and cool on the counter. When the jars are cooled, check the seal by pressing on the top of the jar. If there’s no movement, the jar has sealed. Store up to one year in a cool, dark place.

Makes 6-7 pints (yield varies depending on width of pot, cooking length and juiciness of fruit).

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Peach Jam with Cinnamon and Vanilla

Gingery Pickled Beets

Published on by Dawn7 Comments

This is not what I wanted to post today…I really wanted to post some jam I made with fruit that is abundant in the farmer’s market these days, but the pictures are not ready.  See, with jam, it is a little tricky.  I have been waiting to crack the seal open and try the jam for a couple of weeks, it has been staring at me in the pantry.  I have been very patient though, and trying to let it set.  I read that it can take up to a couple of weeks, and the consistency is almost there.  I know it is going to be amazing, because I tried it as I was putting it into the jars.  I think it might just be my just jam yet, which is awesome, yet sad at the same time.  Unfortunately this fruit is not available all year long, which means it will just be that much more special.

So as you can see, my canning obsession is still in full swing.  In fact, with the farmer’s markets in full on explosion mode, I am really having a hard time.  I told myself a while ago that I can only make one type of jam, and one type of pickle each weekend – anything more is just insane, with all the other things going on in my life.  Now, if this was my full-time job, that would be a different story.  Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind, but I already have a full-time job – and I actually really like what I do, so for now, it is one jam and one pickle on the weekends.

I am a huge beet fan, and I am so excited that they will be around in the farmer’s markets through the fall.  So far I have only made this recipe from Food in Jars with red beets, but I can already tell that the orange-colored beets would be amazing as well.  The ginger really gives these beets a wonderful kick – I seriously could have eaten an entire jar myself.  These are good straight out of the jar, on top of greens with some goat cheese – or in a myriad of other combinations – yes, they are that good.  So – if you are looking for your pickle recipe next weekend, I highly recommend this one.  Not only are they delicious, they look beautiful in the pantry.  See, you actually have to let these sit for a week while they cure, that way you can stare at them in the pantry.  Once a week goes by, you can break them open and enjoy.  They will be a fleeting guest in your refrigerator at that point, so don’t get too used to them…that is until you choose them once again for your weekend pickle.  Thank goodness beets have such a long growing season here.  I may have to start thinking about moving to Georgia…

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs red beets
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons pickling salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 2” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

Preparation

Scrub the beets, removing the greens and long roots (save the greens, they’re edible!). Place the beets in a pot and cover with water. Simmer over medium heat until the beets are just tender, about 30-45 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with your fingers. (Wear plastic gloves or resealable plastic bags on your hands if you are averse to pink-stained skin.) Trim the unwieldy ends, cut the beets into wedges, and set aside.

Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize 3 regular-mouth 1-pint jars. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

Combine vinegar, 2 cups of water, salt, sugar, cinnamon stick and ginger slices in a pot and bring the brine to a boil.

Meanwhile, pack the beet wedges into the sterilized jars. Slowly pour the hot brine over the beets in each jar (making sure to include 2-3 ginger slices in each jar), leaving 1/2” headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.

Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Let the pickles cure for at least 1 week before eating.

Makes two 1-pint jars.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Gingery Pickled Beets

Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Breakfast Casserole

Published on by Dawn7 Comments

My family loves a big Sunday breakfast – and I love yoga.  I used to love a big Sunday breakfast as well – that was until I found this class.  It is not so much the class, as much as it is the instructor.  She just has a nice way of making you work very hard – and I always leave there much more relaxed than I arrived.  Every once in a while though (and it really doesn’t happen very often), I get caught up doing things, and I miss my Sunday morning escape.  When that happens, I usually can’t help it but make a big breakfast.

Recently I have been looking for recipes without using a pastry crust.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a good pastry crust, but it really adds a lot of time to whatever you are doing – and it is also just a little less healthy.  When I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, I was fascinated with the potato crust.  The problem with a potato crust is that you have to get the bottom nice and crisp – if it isn’t, it ends up being a soft soggy mess.  So, I decided to give it a whirl, and see if I could make sure the crust was crisp enough for my taste.  I ended up using the packaged potatoes purely to save time – and they turned out great.  The crust was fantastic – and the kids loved it – even with the spinach.  You can see by my picture that my eggs didn’t mix as well as they should have, but it tasted wonderful.  So this Sunday, make the family a big breakfast – and then take yourself to yoga afterwards as a treat.  Your family will be so happy, they won’t even miss you while you are gone!

Ingredients

  • 16 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 12 ounces fresh breakfast sausage links
  • 2 cups sliced leeks, white and green parts only
  • 2 russet potatoes (1 1/2 lb.), peeled, shredded, and lightly squeezed
  • 6 oz. fresh spinach
  • 2 cups mixed shredded chedder and jack cheeses

Preparation

Position a rack in top third of the oven; preheat to 350°. Whisk eggs, cream, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 3/4 tsp. pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a 12” cast-iron or nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add sausages without the casings, and cook breaking into bits until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add leeks to skillet. Season with salt; cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, spreading out in an even layer. Cook without stirring until bottom and edges are crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Slide potato pancake onto a large plate. Invert onto another large plate. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in skillet. Slide potato pancake into skillet browned side up; cook until bottom is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Scatter spinach, leeks, and sausage over potato pancake, each in an even layer. Season with salt and pepper, then pour in egg mixture. Sprinkle cheese over.

Bake until casserole is puffed and golden brown, 35–40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Breakfast Casserole

Watermelon Soda Float

Published on by Dawn8 Comments

My older daughter has started reading my cooking magazines – it is adorable.  So last night, as we were heading out for date night – she asked if she could take my Bon Appetit upstairs to read before bed.  This morning I got the run down of all the great recipes – but the one that stood out the most was the Watermelon Soda Float.  What is summer without a little watermelon?  Summer is basically over here, but that doesn’t mean we have given up all hope – we are still trying to eke out every last bit.  A few weeks ago we were in the super market, and they had these adorable baby watermelons.  My kids are both suckers for cute things (I wonder where they got that from?), but I held strong, and did not put one of those babies in my cart.  I told them that at some point during the summer we would get one though.  Well, with Labor Day coming next weekend, we were running out of time – so today I walked past the display, and chose the most perfect one I could find.

When I brought it home, the girls were so excited, but not half as excited as they were to learn what I was going to do with it.  They couldn’t wait for dessert.  When dinner was finally over, I broke it to them that I wanted to clean up first. Am I a mean Mom?  I was making the Watermelon Soda Float after all, but waiting is so hard.  So – I finally got them into the glasses, with the perfect pink straws that my sister gave me – and the girls were just about to dig in, when I stopped them.  I had to take a picture!  At this point they were bouncing off the walls – it was almost impossible to get a shot without their little hands trying to sneak in – but I managed to get a couple.  We all loved the dessert – the watermelon soda was so sweet and summery – and the frozen yogurt on top gave it just enough cream flavor to mix in with the soda.  It was summer in a glass – hey, we will take what we can get.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 medium watermelon, chilled, plus ½ cantaloupe
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • 1 cup seltzer
  • 1 pint store-bought vanilla frozen  yogurt, preferably Greek style

Preparation

Using a melon baller, scoop out 1 1/2 cups watermelon balls and cantaloupe balls, into a small bowl. Cover and chill. Cut enough watermelon into 1″ pieces to measure 8 cups. Stir sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Set simple syrup aside.

Purée melon pieces (not balls) in a blender until smooth; strain juice through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or pitcher (you should have about 4 cups juice). Discard solids. Whisk in simple syrup, lime juice, and salt.

DO AHEAD: Purée can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Add seltzer to watermelon purée. Divide melon balls among tall glasses. Pour watermelon soda over. Top with scoops of frozen yogurt. Serve watermelon float with a straw.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Watermelon Soda Float

Peach Cooler

Published on by Dawn3 Comments

Summer is over already, I just can’t believe it.  I was really getting used to those nice warm temperatures – when you can sit outside well into the evening, and it is just wonderfully comfortable.  Last night I actually had to close some of the windows in our room because it was so cold.

Last weekends post got me thinking about when we moved here – 16 years ago this week.  Denver was a beautiful place to live – the mountains were so accessible – and there were definitely four seasons.  It would get so hot in the summer that we had to head to the mountains every weekend and camp, just to escape the heat.  We didn’t have air conditioning, and most of the windows in the house we rented didn’t open.  When we decided to move to Seattle, we had really only spent a few weekends there.  We really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

I remember when we left Denver to make the drive to Seattle, it was a typical summer day – sunny and hot.  By the time we arrived in Seattle, we had gone from summer to fall.  It was cold and cloudy, and we were depressed.  We looked at each other and said, “What have we done?”  Well, it couldn’t have been much of a mistake, since we still live here happily 16 years later, but it is funny to think about it.  So – what do you do if you want to think summer but it really isn’t anymore?  Make a summertime cocktail – that’s exactly what you do.  I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit, and it is just yelled summer to me.  I couldn’t really wait for the peaches to macerate before pouring myself a glass, and even then, it was absolutely delicious.  I seriously could have drunk the whole pitcher myself, if it wasn’t for my husband and our friend who was helping out.  We actually had to save a glass for his wife, otherwise, we would have completely finished it ourselves.

So – whether you are still in the throes of summer, of you have moved begrudgingly into fall – this is a perfect drink for either occasion.   It will either cool you off, or make you forget that it is no longer summer…

Ingredients

  • 2 very ripe peaches, peeled, cut into 1/2″ wedges
  • 6 tablespoons peach  liqueur
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon  juice
  • 1/4 cup vodka
  • 1 English hothouse cucumber
  • 2 cups chilled Prosecco
  • 1 1/2 cups chilled soda water
  • 12 fresh mint leaves

Preparation

Using a muddler or wooden spoon, mash peaches with liqueur and  lemon juice in a large pitcher. Stir in vodka. DO AHEAD Can be made 4  hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Cut 1/3 of cucumber lengthwise into 4 spears for garnish.  Thinly slice remaining cucumber. Stir Prosecco, soda water, mint, and sliced  cucumber into pitcher. Fill glasses with ice. Pour cooler into glasses; garnish  with cucumber spear.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please  click here:  Peach Cooler

Miniature Wedding Cake

Published on by Dawn11 Comments

Remember that special baking project I have been working on?  Well, here it is – the ultimate baking challenge.  I must admit, I cheated a little, this was a miniature version – but challenging enough for me.  So, who could have been special enough to even attempt this?  Let me explain…

Almost 16 years ago, my husband (then fiance) moved to Seattle from Denver.  We moved here knowing one person from college, but we both landed jobs here, and Seattle had mountains and water.  My husband was working on his thesis at the time, and decided to take a break and go down the street to a yard sale that our neighbor was having.  There he met another neighbor, who happily introduced herself, so curious to find out who had bought their friend’s house.  A couple of days later, she called us and invited us over for dinner – unfortunately we had plans that evening, so she asked about the following weekend.  My husband explained that we were busy that weekend also – we were flying back east to get married.  She immediately asked if there was anything she could do to help while we were away, take in the mail, maybe look for packages?  Her son walked right by our house on his way home from school, and she could have him check.  We graciously accepted, not really knowing her at all.  Little did we know that we would not just get a few packages, but most of our wedding presents would be sent to us.

When we got home, we drove up to their house – and the woman looked at us confused.  She had never seen me before, and only met my husband very briefly – and was so pleased when we told her who we were.  She told us they felt like we were old friends, she had a basement full of wedding gifts for us.  They started putting them in the front hall closet, but once that was full, they moved them all to the basement.  We couldn’t believe all the trouble these people went through for us, and we didn’t even know them!  We met her husband, and their two sons, who were about 10 and 11 at the time.  They were so nice and welcoming – and from then on, we became family to them.  There have been good times and hard times, in fact they are no strangers to my blog.  We watched their children grow up – and when their youngest son came home from college with his girlfriend for the summer, she lived with us.  When they got engaged, they asked our daughters to be in the wedding, and I was so touched.  So when they were talking about desserts for their wedding, and how she wanted a mini-wedding cake – I offered to make it for her.  It was the least I could do.  I can’t wait to watch them grow as a married couple…and we are so fortunate to have them in our lives.  Congratulations J&R!!

This cake comes from the Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum, and the frosting is my stand-by Cream Cheese Frosting that I use in many of my recipes, but I had to really create the entire template and decorations myself.  I will do my best to try and explain what I did below…

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

  • 12 large egg yolks
  • 2 cups  milk
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 6 cups sifted cake  flour
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3 sticks  unsalted butter (must be softened)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 10  tablespoons  butter, softened
  • 8  teaspoons  non-fat buttermilk
  • 2  (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
  • 7  cups  powdered sugar (about 2 pounds)
  • 2 1/2  teaspoons  vanilla extract

Preparation

Before I start on the instructions – my kitchen-aid mixer was not big enough to make the cake batter in one batch, so I cut this recipe and half, and made it twice.  I also cooked the cakes in stages.  I had some leftover batter, so in case one of the layers doesn’t come out the way you like it, you have some extra.  I used the following size pans (and then cut them down): 8″, 5″, 3″.  I then cut them down to 7″, 4.5″, 2.25″.  Each tier was two layers.  I found that was the best way to do it, so you could completely control how big the tiers were.  I also cut a 4.5″ diameter cardboard piece (that I bought in the cake store) to be in between the bottom and middle tiers.  I took a straw and cut it down to be the same height as the bottom tier, and placed four straws for the cardboard to sit on, then placed the second tier on that.  I didn’t think the cardboard was necessary for the top-tier, but I did put a straw in the top and middle tiers, to keep the top from falling off.  I bought small candy pearls to decorate the sides of the cakes, and piped frosting in pearl shapes in between each tier.  You will have a lot of leftover frosting, and I took some with me to the wedding, just in case I had to touch up anything.  If you decide to attempt this, and have questions – please don’t hesitate to email me.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl lightly combine the yolks, 1/2 cup milk, and vanilla.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix on low-speed for  30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk. Mix on low-speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed (high-speed if using a hand mixer) and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop  the cake’s structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3  batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the  ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.

Cut out a piece of parchment to fit perfectly on the bottom of the pans.  Butter the pans first without the parchment, place the parchment on the bottom, then butter and flour the pans.  Fill the batter up around 1/2 way and cook the cakes until they are golden and a toothpick inserted in comes out clean.  This will be different depending on the size of the layer, so you really need to watch them so they don’t burn.

Let the cakes cool in the pan on racks for 10 minutes, then turn them over onto a cooling rack, and let them completely cool.

I then wrapped the cakes in plastic and froze the cakes until the day of the wedding and let them defrost on the counter completely before starting to frost.

To prepare frosting, beat 10 tablespoons butter, 8 teaspoons nonfat buttermilk, and cream cheese with a mixer at high-speed until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat until smooth. Add 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; beat well.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Miniature Wedding Cake

Pickled Sugar Snap Peas with Ginger

Published on by Dawn6 Comments

I am a little pre-occupied this week, with a lot of different things.  Sometimes my life really does feel like a three-ring-circus, and this is definitely one of those times.  Tonight my husband was trying to talk to me, and I was so deeply engrossed in thought, I didn’t even hear him, even though he was less than two feet away.  After hearing what I was thinking about, he agreed that I had a lot going on.  I have to say, I am usually at my best during these times…and I am counting on that to be the case again this week.  When I was in college, I was never one of those all-nighter type people – I had all my work done before the deadlines, and never crammed at the last-minute.  I thrive on the last-minute push now, it excites me and almost energizes me.  Funny how things change…

So last night was like the eye of the hurricane.  You know, that eery calm that happens in the middle of a storm?  That was me last night – it was almost too calm.  My husband and I were in the office, he was starting his second work day, as I was catching up on some email.  The girls were in their beds reading, and everything was quiet.  All of a sudden we heard this loud crash, that lasted for quite a while, and then the crying started.  We both called out and started running up the stairs, and our youngest daughter had knocked over her night stand light and the bulb exploded.  I have never seen a light bulb shatter like this, but there were shards of glass everywhere.  She was mostly upset that her light was broken and I knew that unless she had a working light, she would never go to sleep.  My husband worked on cleaning up the room, while I worked on getting the base of the light bulb out of the light.  Fortunately I was able to change the bulb, and all is well that ends well…that is until tonight when she cut her foot on a piece that we missed – but I got that one handled too – and I think we are done.

In a different part of the circus, I am working on a big baking project this week,  and I am not allowing myself any additional baking until it is done.  So, what did I do this weekend?  I made more pickles from Food in Jars.  This time pickled sugar snap peas – I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.  The farmer’s markets are overflowing with amazing produce, and these are so delicious.  The mint and ginger add such a unique flavor – I don’t even like sugar snap peas, but these I could eat all day.

I am really excited about my big baking project that I will finish on Saturday, but more importantly I am excited about why I am doing it…I can’t wait to tell you all about this special occasion.  Until then, I am energized, and balancing the those plates in the air, just like a true circus performer.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound snap peas
  • 1 1/2 cups rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 inch of ginger, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
  • 4 sprigs fresh mint

Preparation

Wash the snap peas well. Using a paring knife, trim both ends and remove the tough string that runs along the back of the peas.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, honey and sea salt. Heat until the honey and salt are entirely dissolved.

Preparare 4 half pint jars.  Place 1-2 ginger slices in the bottom of each of the jars.  Divide the green onions and the mint leaves evenly between the jars.

Pack the prepared snap peas into the jars. If they don’t all fit, set the aside. You may be able to sneak them in once the pickling liquid is poured.

Pour the hot vinegar over the snap peas. Gently tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles.

If you had any remaining peas, try and pack them into the jar at this time.  Place a lid on the jar.  Let the jar rest until it has cooled to room temperature.  Refrigerate.  Let these pickles sit in the vinegar for at least 24 hours before eating.  They will keep up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

Makes two pints.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Pickled Sugar Snap Peas with Ginger