Two Mothers

I haven't written a blog post in two years.  But for some reason, I felt the need to write about something that happened today.  I don't ever want to forget it.

When I was leaving Target today, I saw a woman sitting in the middle of the parking lot in a wheelchair.  I stopped to ask if she was OK.  She pulled out a folder, and with shaking hands, showed me a stack of about 20 pieces of paper.  Each paper had information about various homeless shelters - how much they cost per night, how many nights one could stay, how many nights a person must wait before he/she is allowed back again.  She was beside herself because she had run out of options.  She asked me if I knew of any shelters other than the ones in her folder.  Sadly, I did not.  I told her about a nearby motel I know of that provides rooms for homeless people at a low rate.  She finished my sentence for me - she knew exactly which motel it was - and said she needed $59 for one night and $80 for two.  I had no cash on me, so I offered to call the motel and put the room on my card; the motel won't accept a third-party payment over the phone.

I asked her if we could go back into Target to have some coffee together.  We got inside and found the Starbucks was closed, so I took her over to the cafe and told her to order whatever she wanted.  She ordered a soft pretzel and a drink, but their soda fountain was out of order.  So then we went over to a checkout line, where she picked out a Gatorade and some beef jerky.  I paid for it with my debit card and requested cash back and gave her money for the motel.  She began to cry and asked if she could hug me.  I leaned down to hug her, and she hugged me hard and for a long time.  She cried as she told me of a man who passed her in the parking lot and called her white trash.  She told me how embarassed she was to have to accept the money and said that she never thought she would be a person who had to ask for money because she had nowhere to sleep.  I told her that there are many of us that could easily end up in the same situation if one thing in our life went wrong - a lost job, a medical condition, a bad accident.  She promised me she would pay it forward when she could.  She kept telling me she wanted me to know she meant it.  I told her I knew she would pay it forward in whatever way she could.  

We headed over to the tables, and we sat and talked for about 30 minutes.  She ate her pretzel.  I helped her open her drink, as her shaking hands made it impossible.  She told me she had a college degree in accounting but had to stop working due to her MS, which was diagnosed 16 years ago when she was pregnant with her son.  "How can I hold down a job when I don't know from day to day what my body will do?" she asked.  She has gone through periods of blindness, the inability to feed herself, and has been unable to walk for awhile.  We talked about raising kids.  Her son is 15 and in the 11th grade.  "I must have done something right if he's a grade ahead and doing well!"  She told me that social studies is his favorite subject, smiled and said, "He must get that from his father!"  We talked about the education system, jobs we've held, classes we enjoyed in college.  She told me about her dream of having an apartment and a job that gave her life meaning  When it was time for me to leave to get the kids, I said, "I'm going to ask you a weird question.  You said earlier you need help using the bathroom.  Do you need to go now?  I can help you transfer."  She said, "That's not a weird question at all.  You are so kind to ask.  I'm fine now."  We hugged again, and she thanked me and promised me again she would pay it forward when she could.  I helped her get her things together and get her gloves on; her shaking hands made these menial tasks difficult.  We shared one final hug and wished each other a Merry Christmas.

I don't think I will forget her any time soon.  I hope I never forget her.  Sometimes I need a reminder of all of the things I have to be grateful for.  I need a reminder of how important it is to raise children who have empathy and a sense of humanity.  I need a reminder that my job as a professor is so much more than teaching psychology.  Every day is an opportunity to help my students debunk the myths about marginalized groups that maintain racism, classism, sexism, and ableism.  Each interaction with my students is a chance to give them the skills and ignite the passion necessary to work for social justice.

Lately, I have been struggling with what I believe regarding religion and spirituality.  I do know that there is something bigger than me out there.  I believe that that bigger thing creates "synchronicity" - the things that seem like they might be coincidences, but there has to be something bigger and intangible to explain them.  Meeting this woman today was a bit of synchronicity.  We were meant to cross paths because there was meaning for me to make today from our interaction.  I hope there was meaning for her as well.  I think there was.    

 

Spinach Artichoke Dip

• 1 box frozen boxed spinach, thawed
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup part-skim mozzarella
• 8 oz reduced-fat cream cheese
• 4 gloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Squeeze all excess liquid from spinach, place in food processor with sour cream, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, cream cheese, garlic, pepper and hot sauce.
3. Process until blended but still slightly lumpy. Add artichokes and pulse to form a chunky mixture.
4. Place in 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella.
5. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Crab Dip

A co-worker was looking for a crab dip recipe and emailed me, suspecting I'd have a good one.  In fact, I do.  Several years ago at my husband's prior job, the company's diversity team put together a cookbook; it was filled with recipes contributed by employees.  This crab dip is one of the recipes I have made from the cookbook.  It's a hit every time I make it.

You'll notice that there are no exact measurements for some of the ingredients.  I just do it to taste, which I'm sure differs each time I make it.  Nonetheless, it always comes out great!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 - 8 ounce bars of cream cheese, softened
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
2-3 T. horseradish
6 ounces pepper jack cheese (shredded)
2 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)
Old Bay
Emeril's Essence
1 1/2 pounds lump crab meat

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix cream cheese and heavy cream with a mixer until a smooth consistency.  Fold in horseradish.  Add Old Bay and Essence to taste.  Add 4 ounces of pepper jack and all of cheddar.  Fold in crab meat.  Spread mixture in a buttered baking dish.  Bake until bubbline.  When ready to serve, add remaining pepper jack cheese on top.  (I like to add the cheese at the end so it melts.) 

Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or crusty bread. 

Homemade Artisan Bread

No-knead artisan breads seem to be all the rage these days. I've come across a number of different recipes for no-knead bread in the past couple of months. I was using one recipe, but I found that the crust was always a little too crispy for my taste, even with under-baking a bit. One of my professors, Dr. Ed Taylor, bakes most of his own bread. He has brought warm bread into class several times, and it is delicious! I got the recipe from him last weekend and made it tonight to go along with some slow-cooker lasagna. This recipe makes four loaves, and you can store the extra dough for up to two weeks in the fridge. So with just a little bit of prep time, you can have everything you need for four loaves of fantastic bread - soft on the inside with a crispy-chewy crust. I'm excited to try some variations - maybe some fresh herbs or cinnamon and raisins. We had it with butter tonight, but I would also like to try it with some herb-infused olive oil. I think it would also work great for French toast or panini.

6.5 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
3 cups warm water

In a large bowl, mix the ingredients together until well combined and form the dough into a big ball. (I mixed first with a wooden spoon and then my hands.) Let rise two hours, covered with a towel. Be sure it's not in a cold or drafty place. After two hours, split the dough into four even balls (use flour on your hands and/or the dough to make it easier to handle). Wrap three of the balls in plastic wrap and store in a zip-lock in the fridge for up to two weeks. (When baking bread from the dough in the fridge, let the dough come to room temperature for about 40 minutes before baking.)

Place a pizza stone on a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. On the top rack, place a pan of water for a water bath; this will create steam, which will help the bread brown and stay moist. (I used a 9-inch cake pan.) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

With floured hands, take the fourth dough ball and shape into a loaf. I placed mine on a well-floured pizza peel. When the oven is preheated, carefully move the dough from the peel onto the heated stone. Bake for 30 minutes at 450. Remove from the oven. Let bread sit for 5-10 minutes after baking before cutting.

Pumpkin Threefer

Apples and pumpkins. These are my two favorite fall ingredients.

In my doctoral program cohort, we take turns providing a snack for class each week. A couple weeks ago it was my turn, so I made some Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. I found some fall-colored sprinkles at Target, so I used those to add some color and flair.

I had come across a recipe for Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. I love regular snickerdoodles and figured you couldn't go wrong by adding a fall twist to them. They were delicious! My husband loved them and was not happy about my wanting to share them with the neighbors; he wanted to keep them all for himself. (Sorry, no pictures of these.)

Lastly, I had some leftover pumpkin from the snickerdoodles, so I used it for some Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping - perfect for a cool Sunday morning breakfast. These have a healthy element to them in that they use some whole wheat flour and oatmeal, but the six tablespoons of butter probably offsets that, right? They made the house smell wonderful! I thought they were yummy warm out of the oven. They weren't too sweet, and you could definitely taste the pumpkin spices. Kate loved helping with the baking. As I measure each ingredient, she yells, "I want to dump it in!"

I have to get some writing done for school this morning, and then we may head to the orchard this afternoon to get some local apples and pumpkins. More fall baking to be done!

The Crazy Cat Lady

Early Saturday afternoon we arrived home from being in Delaware for my sister's wedding. My neighbor approached me to say that she'd seen a black and white cat wandering around who seemed to be lost and wanted to be sure that one of our cats hadn't gotten out. Just then, the lost cat appeared. He's a sweet little guy - meowed and rubbed against my legs and followed me up to my front porch. He would've invited himself in if I had let him. He seemed well cared for and had a collar, so I doubt he's a stray. Our neighborhood has a blog, so I emailed the moderator some information about the cat along with a picture with hopes that we could find the owner.

I have received several emails from people in the neighborhood, none of whom are the owner. One woman in particular, Joy, has emailed me multiple times. She gives new meaning to the notion of the crazy cat lady. I don't know if Joy has cats, but because she is so (overly) involved with this cat, I think she's nuts.

Her first email's subject line reads: "Pray found this dear cat's home." Her message reads: "Did u? Can you take him in?" I replied that I can't take him in, as we already have two cats and a dog. The she emailed me to ask me to take him to the vet and pay his vet bills. I didn't reply. Then she emailed me again to tell me exactly which vet she wants me to take him to and that I should pay the bill. (She reminds me that it's tax deductible. Doubtful.) Again, I didn't reply. She emails me again to tell me she can pay its vet bills and gives me her phone number; she asks me for my phone number. Again, I don't reply.

She then writes to ask me to pray for the cat: "Pleeeeeaaase pray that he's OK. Please, please, please pray." Umm, OK...I hope that everything works out for the cat, but I haven't (nor do I intend to) have a prayer vigil for this cat and/or his owner.

Then she writes again to tell me that I should find the cat, get him in a carrier, and she'll go with me to take him to the vet. Ummm, again, NO. I'd be more likely to find this crazy lady, put her in a carrier, and take her somewhere for care (like a mental hospital).

To sum up: seven emails from the crazy cat lady who wants me to take in a stray cat, or at the very least catch him in a carrier and then call her so we can take him to the vet of her choosing, where I will pay the bill, together. And during all of this cat-catching and vet-transporting, I should also be praying for the cat.

I'm totally an animal lover, but isn't this a bit extreme?

Working for the Money

My cupcakes' reputation has gotten around, and I just finished my first paid baking job! Our daycare provider's niece is having a baby shower this weekend and asked me to make two dozen cupcakes for the kids who will be attending. She's having a baby girl, so I got to use pink sprinkles and pink frosting. I made red velvet with cream cheese frosting and vanilla bean with vanilla bean buttercream. (Both of the recipes are from My Baking Addiction.) I had a couple extra of the vanilla bean cupcakes, so I dropped them off to several of my neighbors. While I was taking the dog out, my neighbor brought a cupcake to her son who was playing basketball in the backyard. I heard him say, "Wow - this is amazing!" YES!

Cafe Mocha Cupcakes

On the way to work on the Friday before we were to leave for vacation, my hubby got a flat tire. He had meetings scheduled all day and didn't know when he'd have a chance to get his tire replaced. His boss offered to take the car and get it fixed so my hubby could attend his meetings. As a thank you, I baked some Cafe Mocha Cupcakes from My Baking Addiction. The cake has good flavor, and I love, love, love the mocha buttercream. I garnished them with chocolate-covered coffee beans that I got from the bulk candy bins at Wegmans. I think they'd be tasty with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.

Cafe Mocha Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
1 ½ teaspoon instant espresso granules

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined.
3. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add the 1 ½ teaspoons of espresso granules to the cup of hot coffee and stir to combine. With mixer still on low, add in the coffee/espresso mixture and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
4. Using a large scoop (about 3 tablespoons), distribute the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
4. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then remove them onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

For the frosting
Ingredients
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
pinch of fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water
3-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Directions
1. In a large bowl, sift together the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add in confectioner’s sugar/cocoa powder mixture, and continue creaming until well blended.
2. Add salt, vanilla, 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk and espresso/water. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Yield 24 cupcakes

Eggs for Dinner

I tend to blog about desserts, but today I have a dinner recipe. I made a Summer Squash, Bacon, and Mozzarella Quiche. YUM! It consists of simple and inexpensive ingredients. It did take awhile to make, but there is a lot of inactive time in the process. Most of the time was spent waiting for the dough for the crust to chill. It could definitely be made ahead of time, so it could work for company or a weeknight meal. This is a Cooking Light recipe, so it's probably healthier than the average quiche recipe. You can get the recipe here at Cooking Light's website.

Milk's Best Friend

I love just about anything with Oreo in it. Oreo milkshakes are one of my favorite treats. They're also good plain with a glass of milk. Today, it's Oreos and cake. I made a one bowl chocolate cake and an Oreo buttercream frosting. There was a bunch of frosting left over, but the cake recipe makes a rather small cake. I used two 8-inch round pans.

I broke up some Oreos to put between the two layers (on top of the frosting) and decorated the top with halved Oreos. Looking forward to enjoying some with a glass of milk after dinner!

It was a hit with the younger crowd!

One Bowl Chocolate Cake (from Lick the Bowl Good)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8 or 9-inch pans. Line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper, butter the paper.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend the dry ingredients thoroughly.

Add the oil and 1/2 cup of the water to the dry ingredients. Add another 1/2 cup water, eggs and the vanilla; again whisk until smooth. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans.

Bake the cake layers for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes; then invert onto cooling rack. Remove the paper liners and let cool completely before frosting.

Makes 2- 8 or 9-inch layers or 1 9x13 cake.

Oreo Buttercream Frosting (from My Baking Addiction)

Ingredients
1 stick salted butter – room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon Clear Vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
4-6 tablespoons very cold milk
8 crushed Oreo cookies with the cream removed before crushing

Directions
Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the clear vanilla extract and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency. Fold in the Oreo cookie crumbs. Frost cake as desired.

Cake Slice Bakers June Cake: Fresh Strawberry Cake with Chocolate Chips

I haven't baked a cake for Cake Slice Bakers since March. I had my wrist surgery April 1st, so I wasn't able to bake for a month or so. May was a hectic month. I finished teaching for the school year and started my doctoral program the same day! Most of the baking I've done in the past month has been purposeful - for my sister's baby shower, dinner at a friend's house, etc. It's nice to be baking something for leisure again.

I baked this cake with my daughter. She loves helping in the kitchen. The Easter Bunny brought her some of her own tools - a whisk and spatula. While she loves stirring and dumping things into the bowl, I think her favorite part of baking is licking the bowl and beaters.

My husband got me a Le Creuset stone baking pan for Christmas. This is the first time I've used it for baking. It's pretty enough to serve from it. I made one substitution in the recipe. The recipe calls for white chocolate chips. My husband and I are not fans of white chocolate, and I happened to have an open bag of milk chocolate chips that needed to be used up, so I used those in the cake. I figured it'd be like a chocolate-covered strawberry cake.

The cake came out a really nice golden color. It was moist and light and had a nice crunch on the edges. I am so glad that I used chocolate chips. I ate the first piece when it was still warm, and the chocolate chips were melty and delicious. I think it would be good with some vanilla or strawberry ice cream or whipped cream.

Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips
Makes one 8 inch square cake
(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

Ingredients
1 egg
1 egg yolk
½ cup sour cream
½ tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups all purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
6 tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
8 ounces strawberries, stemmed and sliced
1 cup white chocolate chips or chunks

Method
Heat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out the excess.

Combine the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla in a large measuring jug and beat lightly. Combined 1¼ cups of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream with an electric whisk on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides when necessary.

With the mixer on medium low speed, pour the egg mixture into the bowl in a slow stream, stopping the mixer once or twice to scrape down the bowl.

Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time. After the last addition mix for 30 seconds on medium speed.

Combine the strawberries and remaining ¼ cup flour in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Fold the flour covered berries along with the chocolate chips into the batter using a spatula.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake the cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Let the cake cool ion the pan for about 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack and then turn it right side up to cool completely.

Cut into squares and serve.

Berry Good

I haven't done much baking since my surgery on April 1st, and the itch to make some cupcakes had really kicked in. I was inspired by a recipe from Annie's Eats, one of the blogs I follow, for Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes. I love the combination of blueberries and lemons. They marry so well and create a harmonious balance of sweet and tart. These cupcakes have a delicate white cake flavored with fresh lemon zest and juice. The cake is dotted with fresh blueberries, although I'm sure you could use frozen if fresh aren't available. The cream cheese frosting is also flavored with the lemon zest and juice. I will definitely make these cupcakes again - they're the perfect cupcake for warmer weather.

Sorry for the less-than-stellar picture - I took it on my camera phone.

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
(From Annie's Eats)

Yield: about 16 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
¾ cup cake flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. milk, at room temperature
1 cup fresh blueberries

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 large lemon

Additional fresh blueberries, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the ¾ cup all-purpose flour, the cake flour, baking powder and salt; whisk together and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice. With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Blend in the milk. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until incorporated.

In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with the remaining 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Using a spatula gently fold the berries into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners, filling each about ¾ full. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pans 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. (I used a large, unlabeled star tip to frost these cupcakes.) Garnish with fresh blueberries.

Source: cupcake adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes, frosting adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Catching Up

I haven't posted in over two months. I feel like I've been sick for most of that time. At the end of February I had a stomach flu. The first couple weeks of March, I had a bad cold and laryngitis. By the time I got over that, it was time for my wrist surgery. About a week after the surgery, I came down with a sinus infection. I then got pink eye and bronchitis. So, after all of this sick time, I'm finally on the mend and trying to get caught up with life, baking and blogging included. Here is what I need to cover:

#1: For Valentine's Day, I asked my husband for new canisters for my baking supplies. I got a bunch of Oxo containers with pop-top airtight lids. Love, love, love them! I also got a label maker and have been able to organize and label my baking cabinet. Since taking this picture, I actually moved all of my baking stuff to a larger cabinet and also got some clear, plastic shoe boxes to hold all of the extraneous baking stuff: sprinkles, candies, chocolate chips, nuts, piping bags and tips, etc. I just love how much easier baking is with a well-organized cabinet!

#2: March Cake Slice Bakers
The March cake for CSB was a chocolate pound cake. I thought this was one of the better cakes from the book Cake Keeper Cakes. The cake had a nice crust, was moist and had a great chocolate flavor without being too sweet.

#3: My mom came for dinner in March. I made Beef Bourguignon and homemade bread. For dessert, I made a chocolate sour cream bundt cake. It's a recipe I saw on one of my favorite blogs, Lick the Bowl Good. The cake was a bit of work - chocolate to chop, ganache to make - but it was well worth the effort. I took the leftovers into work, and my co-workers raved about it. This is definitely a rich cake, and I strongly recommend serving it a la mode or with a glass of milk.
#4: We're getting a puppy! After years of begging and persuading, I have finally gotten my husband to agree on getting a dog. After a lot of research, we decided on a bichpoo (Bichon Frise/Toy Poodle mix). They are very smart and great family dogs because they love people, kids, and other animals. They don't shed and only grow to about 12 pounds at the most. Our puppy, Dewey, was born on March 30th. We'll be able to get him at the end of May. Here's a picture of our little baby! You can't tell in this picture, but he has white on his paws, belly, chest, and chin.
#5: In February, I applied for the doctoral program in Adult Education at Penn State. I found out last week that I was accepted! I will be taking my first class this summer and will be in the full swing of the program in the fall. I'm really excited to have this opportunity, and I'm sure I'll be even more excited in four years when I get to walk across the stage as a doctor!
I think that about covers it...the last two months in a nutshell. With the school year winding down, I'm hoping to have a little more free time to do some baking and blogging.

C is for Cookie...and Cupcake

Kate will be two tomorrow! It's really hard to believe how fast the time has gone by. I showed her some pictures of cupcakes she could take to daycare for her birthday, and she shouted an enthusiastic "WOW!" to some chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes. This is a semi-homemade type of recipe - it starts from a devil's food boxed cake mix, and the cookie dough/cookies are from a Pillsbury refrigerator roll. A little ball of cookie dough is placed in the center of each cupcake before baking. The only alteration I made to the original recipe is omitting the espresso. I figured since the cupcakes would be eaten by a group of toddlers, the extra caffeine wasn't needed. Plus, we love our daycare provider and didn't want to plague her with six hyper kids! Decorations include mini chocolate chips and a chocolate chip cookie wedged in the vanilla buttercream frosting. I think they turned out really cute, and Kate is thrilled with them! Check out My Baking Addiction for the recipe.

All You Need is Love...and Cupcakes

Red Velvet is perhaps my favorite cake. I love it with vanilla cream cheese frosting. The red color of the cake makes it a perfect confection for Valentine's Day. And I found some cute Valentine's Day cupcake liners and sprinkles at Target, which I think make these cupcakes particularly cute. I used the large, round tip (one of my new tips from Bake it Pretty) to pipe the frosting. The recipe is from My Baking Addiction. I can't yet comment on taste because I am saving them to take to work tomorrow, but they look like they will be moist. Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Just the Tip

I've been on a cupake kick the last few days. We enjoyed a low key weekend in, and I baked a couple batches of cupcakes - chocolate chocolate chip with chocolate cream cheese frosting and a plain chocolate cupcake with the same frosting.

The inspiration for my other batch of cupcakes, lemon ones with a lemon cream cheese frosting, came from a co-worker. Every Tuesday, I bring baked goodies into work. Last week, one of my co-workers was quite upset that he didn't get a piece of cake, as our other gluttonous colleagues had eaten it all. To make it up to him, I promised a special treat this week. This particular co-worker loves lemon desserts, so I searched for a lemon cupcake. Not only did the recipe turn out deliciously, but I learned about cupcake decorating tips from the blog where I got the recipe. I never knew how bakers piped such beautiful frosting on cupcakes; my standard tips didn't do the trick. But these huge cupcake tips are fantastic! I ordered them from Bake It Pretty on Friday afternoon, and they came in Monday's mail.

The cupcake itself was one of the best I've ever made. The cake is a white cake infused with lemon, achieved by massaging lemon zest into the sugar before adding the butter, and some lemon extract. The cake was light and fluffy with a nice crumb. The frosting was also delicious - a basic cream cheese frosting with lemon juice added. I was sure to add enough confectioners sugar to make the frosting stiff enough to pipe with my new tips. I had some yellow decorating sugar on hand, so I did a sprinkling of that for a classic, understated look. I think it's my best work yet, aesthetically speaking! Can't wait to use the tips for my daughter's birthday cupcakes!



Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
makes 24 cupcakes

For the Cake
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
lemon zest from two lemons
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare cupcake tins by using liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray

To Make The Cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl.
Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the butter and, working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extracts, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs, beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2-minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated. Place the batter into the cupcake tins.
Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the cupcakes are well risen and springy to the touch – a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean.
Cool on wire rack.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 (8) ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
juice of one lemon

Using a mixer, blend the butter and cream cheese together until well combined. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated. Finally mix in vanilla and lemon juice.

January Cookbook Club: A Better Burger?

I love a good burger, which can be pretty hard to find. I was excited to see that the Cookbook Club selection for January was a burger, especially since we tend not to have burgers all that much in the colder months. (Can I express how much I can't wait for all of the snow on and around the grill to melt and warmer weather to arrive?) I was also excited to see that this recipe came from a James Beard cookbook: Beard on Food. The recipe was simple, perhaps a little too simple for my taste, but it was certainly juicy. I have become a fan of Bobby Flay burgers, which often have an elaborate list of spices, fun sauces, and interesting cheeses. But, for a simple burger, this one was good. I think I would have preferred it on the grill than in a pan - it seemed to get a bit greasy cooked in a cast iron skillet. I will certainly try this recipe again when grilling season gets here, and I'll probably add some fresh herbs to the mix.

Ingredients:
2 pounds of top-quality chopped round or chuck
2 tablespoons of grated onion (use a fine grater so you get just the juice and finely grated onion)
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Black pepper
Butter
Olive oil
Buttered buns or English muffins

Directions:
Spread out ground beef on a board and grate the onion into it. Mix in the cream and freshly ground black pepper. Form into patties (I like 6 to 8 ounce patties for an average setting).

Hamburger is best cooked in a heavy skillet with a combination of butter and oil, which prevents the butter from burning when you cook at high heat… gives a crustier, juicier hamburger than broiling. Cook your hamburger in a heavy skillet (use less fat for Teflon, but a little for flavor) over fairly high heat, giving it 4 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on how well done you like it.

Salt the creamy, oniony, peppery hamburger before serving it on a buttered bun or English muffin with sliced tomatoes and onions.

A Twofer: New Year's Eve and January Cake Slice Bakers

It's hard to believe it's been nearly a month since I posted anything. Life has been hectic. I am applying to a doctoral program, so my life has been consumed with tasks related to that, including studying for and taking the Miller Analogies Test. What is the MAT? It's a stupid, stupid test that, in my opinion, has no predictive validity regarding my ability to succeed in graduate school. After all, I do have a master's degree, so doesn't that mean I am capable of succeeding in graduate classes? Just sayin'. Just to show you how dedicated I've been to my studying efforts, I'll share with you a picture of me studying. On my birthday. In the bed and breakfast where my husband took me for my birthday. I told him I couldn't go to dinner until I studied.

I've been able to do very little baking in the last month, but I did manage to bake a lovely cake on New Year's Eve. We were visiting my in-laws in Michigan, and I decided I wanted to make them dinner and dessert for New Year's Eve. For dinner, I made a roasted pork tenderloin that marinated overnight in an herb bath, mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus. My father-in-law is quite a picky eater, and he really enjoyed the meal. Score! For dessert, I made a triple-layer devil's food cake with brown sugar buttercream frosting, a recipe from Lick the Bowl Good that I've been meaning to try for a long time. I loved the cake but think plain buttercream would have been just fine. I actually preferred the cake the next day after it had been refrigerated. My in-laws said it was the best cake they had ever had! My daughter, who is a HUGE cake fan, loved it and asked for more.

The January pick for the Cake Slice Bakers was a Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake. This cake was supposed to be reminiscent of a s'more. While I love the idea of the cake, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The cake turned out rather dry. I do have to give a disclaimer that I didn't eat the cake the same day I baked it, so that could be the reason for the dryness. But, the cake was on a covered cake plate, and usually when I leave cakes on this plate for several days, they retain their moisture. The picture that accompanies the recipe shows a layer of chocolate chips on the bottom of the cake, but mine were evenly dispersed in the cake. I did enjoy the frosting, which was buttercream-like, and think it would be good on a chocolate cake.

My co-workers have been disappointed that I haven't been bringing in weekly baked goods. I have also really missed baking over the last month. Now that the MAT is out of the way and my application nearly complete, I hope to get back to baking. Of course, while my co-workers support my entering a doctoral program, they are concerned that the academic demands will take time away from my baking. I'll try my best to maintain a balance. After all, baking helps me manage stress.

Eggnog for Breakfast

I don't care for eggnog, but when I saw a recipe for Cranberry Eggnog Muffins in the December 2010 edition of Food Network Magazine, I was intrigued. While I don't care to drink eggnog - mostly because I can't get over drinking something that thick and feel that drinking eggs is just wrong - I thought that the consistency could work quite well in a batter.

The cranberry component is Craisins...soaked in rum. Can't go wrong with rum for breakfast, eh? The muffins also have a delicious streusel topping. It was crispy, crunchy, crumbly, and sweet and added a nice touch to the muffins.

I didn't take any pictures, but I've included one from Food Network's website. Here is the recipe - might be a great one to try for Christmas morning!


Cranberry Eggnog Muffins
from Food Network Magazine, December 2010

Ingredients

For the Muffins:
Cooking spray
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup rum or apple juice
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups eggnog
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

Directions
Prepare the muffins: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mist a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Warm the cranberries and rum in a small saucepan over medium heat, then remove from the heat and let steep 5 minutes. Drain.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.

Whisk the butter, eggnog, eggs and vanilla in another bowl. Gently fold into the flour mixture. (The batter will be lumpy; do not overmix.) Fold in the cranberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Make the topping: Mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, salt and brown sugar in a bowl with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand. Sprinkle generously over the batter.

Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan, then carefully remove to a rack.

Cake Slice Bakers December Cake: Cranberry Cake

I never got around to making November's cake. Between being sick and having a sick kid, Thanksgiving, and oodles of grading, it just didn't happen. And by the time I had time to do it, I had read some of the other bloggers' posts about it and decided it wasn't worth it.
But onto December...Cranberry Cake. I was glad to see that a holiday-ish recipe was selected for this month. I have never bought fresh cranberries before - only Craisins - so I was interested to bake with them. Also, while I've made streusel toppings with walnuts and pecans before, I've never made one with almonds.
This cake was simple to make. I had all of the ingredients in the pantry or fridge except for fresh cranberries. Since it's the holiday season, Wegmans had a plethora of cranberries. The cake smelled fantastic while baking, was beautiful when I took it out of the oven, and I was excited to give it a try. I'm sad to say I was a bit disappointed. The cranberries were a bit too tart for my taste. I also wasn't thrilled about the almond-to-cake ratio - fewer almonds would have sufficed. The cake itself was incredibly moist and delicious. We had a friend over for dinner last night, and all three of us agreed that with some changes, this cake could be a home run.
If I make it again, here's what I'd do. First, I'd use a different fruit - maybe blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries. Second, I'd use walnuts or pecans in the streusel instead of the almonds.
I still have some holiday baking to do. I have a recipe for chocolate peppermint cheesecake bars that I want to try. And we made sugar cookie dough last week but have yet to make the cookies. I think that will be a nice Christmas Eve project, and then we'll have freshly homemade cookies to leave for Santa.

Merry Christmas!

Cranberry Cake
(Recipe from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman)

Makes one 10-inch round cake (or a square cake if you have a square springform pan like I do!)

Streusel
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp light brown sugar

Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries

Streusel
Heat the oven to 300F. Grease a 10inch round springform pan.
Combine the butter, almonds and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Work the mixture between your fingers to form large crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cake
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium high speed until the mixture is lightened and increased in volume, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, add the butter in a slow stream. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for another 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
Gently but thoroughly fold in the flour mixture, half a cup at a time. Then stir in the cranberries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter. Bake the cake until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour to 1hour 10minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Release the sides of the pan and use a large spatula to slide the cake from the pan bottom onto the wire rack. Cool completely before cutting into wedges and serving.
Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.