It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Sydney made this beautiful gingerbread house in her culinary class.  All hand baked by her.   I think this might be one gingerbread house that actually tastes good and doesn't risk your dental work!

No time to waste taking the pictures as we have some eager people in this house ready to start eating this one!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Donut Stop

Last weekend Sydney made these sweet little donut cakes.  We were longing to make them after finding the recipe on this very lovely website, Sprinkle Bakes.  Interestingly enough I found out about Sprinkle Bakes while walking through our Chapter's bookstore a few weeks.  It was the cover of a book that caught my eye and the by line "Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist" that made me stop in my tracks. It made me think of my niece who is such an artistic and clever baker.  I was sold when I opened it up and saw the photos and recipes.  We gave it to her for her birthday.

While shopping for other things last week I happened upon the donut pan - an essential when making these donut cakes. Although the recipe used a mini donut pan ours was more in the line of medium sized.  They turned out great!

Wouldn't these be great for a birthday, shower or bakesale!

Recipe from SprinkleBakes.

******

I must say that I always think of my brother when I see a Do Not Stop sign on the highway.  I believe it was on our family trip out west from Toronto to Alberta with stops in between to visit family in Winnipeg and Saskatoon.  I was around 10 I think.  We packed up our station wagon - gold with faux wood trim - with our camping equipment, pillows and 8-track tapes - Benny Goodman, The Mills Brothers, John Denver, Carol King, Blood, Sweat and Tears and my own contribution - Barry Manilow.  (I'm sure it was great having a little sister.)  Anyways, many days and hours into the trip, when my brother saw a "Do Not Stop" sign on the highway (and there were many) he would yell "Donut Stop".  This would cause unnecessary braking and confusion from the front seat but somehow even with a stern word sent to the back we did manage to stop a couple of times for donut breaks on our travels. 

Rehearsals, Finales and Birthdays

Hello Monday.We had another busy weekend.  I`m not sure I`ll know what to do with myself if we ever get a weekend off!

We went to two performances of Westside Story at the school.  Erica took Musical Theatre this semester and her and 60 other students have been pouring their heart and soul into the production.  It showed.  It was amazing.  We saw Westside at the Stratford Festival a couple of years ago and this show was equally as good (I think even better!).  Erica was in the pit band playing tenor sax.  These kids literally rocked this extremely difficult score.  Music, band and theatre were such a big part of my life growing up and I`m so happy my girls have been able to experience the thrill of performance and the everlasting friendships it creates.

On Saturday it was the finale of the show and also Erica`s 17th birthday.  Happy Birthday Erica.  This has been quite a year! Show Choir, Westside, Africa!!!!, ski team, working! Wow! We are so proud to you.

While we were at the show on Friday Sydney baked dozens of cupcakes for Erica.

They were delicious!

Sharks vs. Jets!

On Sunday our attention moved to dance rehearsals for Sydney`s recitals this week.  

I can`t wait to see the show!

Happy Birthday Sydney! Happy Easter!

Another post about a cake.  You would think based on my latest posts that we live on cake.  Well, sort of lately.  We try to throw in the odd vegetable now and then but we have hit the season of birthdays in our family.  We do however leave one, oh so special one for the end of the year! :)

Today is Sydney's birthday!  Wow! How did 15 years go by?!!  We knew we had a challenge for Sydney's cake as she has made some pretty impressive cakes lately for others and felt we had to put the same amount of effort in for hers.  The word around the house was that we don't make chocolate cake enough.  In fact, I don't remember the last time I did bake a chocolate cake.  So off to hunt for a chocolate cake recipe.

I found this amazing Cookies and Cream Cake recipe on one of my favourite Blogs Annie's Eats - I visit this blog regularly - beautiful photos and the recipes sound so good - very inspiring.  It was time to actually make one of these tasty creations. In fact, I had just made one of Annie's recipes Strawberry Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Butter Cream for Sydney and her friends a few days ago.  These are probably the best cupcakes I have ever made the icing is so smooth and just lightly sweet - it really tastes like creamy, strawberry ice cream.  I'm only sorry that a photo was not taken before they were eaten!

Erica and I made Sydney's cake.  It has chocolate cake layers with  whipped cream filling and chopped oreo cookie bits in the middle.  A smooth chocolate frosting with more whipped cookies on the top.  Of course we had to top it off with more oreos...because..who doesn't like oreos?  I have a funny story about oreo cookies.  When I was young my mom rarely would buy such a cookie (and funny enough as a mom myself neither do I!) but I really wanted some....I was pretty good at duplicating my mom's writing so I added oreos to her weekly grocery list.  When my mom got to the store she couldn't think of why she needed oreos but she had written it on the list so she thought she better buy them....ah, that was a good week!

Happy Birthday Sydney!

and Happy Easter!

Cake and Celebrations

Sydney made this beautiful spring inspired cake for her Nana's 80th birthday on the weekend.

Love the spring colours!

 The cake was delicious.  Lemon scented vanilla cake with almond buttercream icing.

Yum!

Welcome Home

On Saturday, Erica returned from a wonderful trip to Tanzania.  She was away for two weeks and we all missed her.  Sydney, her sister, baked and created this masterpiece for her return.  This turned out to be a big undertaking for Sydney - with all the different stages of baking and decorating this cake was a three day process and took many 'girl' hours.

It was certainly worth it.  Gorgeous and Yum! 

Rustic Ricotta Tart with Blood Oranges

A group of my on-line friends have started a food challenge.  Once or twice a month one ingredient will be chosen and we all have to find and make a recipe with that item.  The first item chosen was CaraCara or Blood Oranges.  I had heard of Blood Oranges but I've probably only bought one time many years ago. I had never heard of CaraCara oranges.  This was going to be fun.  I love to try new foods and recipes as it's easy to get stuck in a rut - especially at this time of year...and also I have alot of accounting to catch up on that I would love to put off to another day. :)

I purchased a bag of Red Moro Oranges.  Funny enough there was a bag of  CaraCara oranges right next to them.  If it weren't for this challenge I would have never noticed them.  The first cut into a Blood Orange is a bit alarming but the colour is so amazing.  These ones are slightly tart but sweet at the same time.

I had something in mind for a recipe. A rustic tart type dessert using a ricotta cheese base and topped with the fruit. I couldn't find just what I was looking for but managed to piece enough ideas together to come up with this.

Rustic Ricotta Tart with Blood Oranges

I used puff pastry as my base.  What a great product and so easy to use.  I used  President's Choice brand Butter Puff Pastry.  (You can find it in the freezer section).  It comes with 2 pre-rolled sheets (about 10x8").  You can either connect these to make one big tart, make two smaller ones (which I did) or ½ the recipe for the filling and fruit and use just one sheet.

Preheat oven to 375°F
Puff Pastry
Thaw out the puff pastry according to box instructions.  You can lightly roll it out on a floured surface.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Pinch around all the the edges to make a lip.  This will help to hold your ricotta cheese mixture in.

Filling
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. honey
 ¼ - ½ cup sugar (taste it before you add the eggs to determine your sweetness)
 ¼ tsp. nutmeg
grated orange zest
2 eggs
 ¼ cup flour
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

In an electric mixer, combine the ricotta cheese and cream cheese. Add honey, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and zest. Add the eggs until combined. Sift in the flour and cornstarch. Pour onto puff pastry. If using one pastry sheet only pour out ½ of the cheese mixture.

Fruit Topping
2 lbs blood red oranges - slice two of the oranges and section the rest
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. honey (optional)

Thinly slice 1 or 2 of the oranges and set aside.  With  the rest of the oranges peel, removing the bitter pith (white part), seeds if any and section.  (Don't worry if the sections break up.) Place the sections in a sieve and allow most of the juice to drain off. The juice is amazing and the rich colour is exotic looking.  Drop the sections on the cheese mixture. Sprinkle about 2 tsp. of sugar on top.

I know these look like tomatoes but they really are oranges!

Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove pan from oven.  Brush on honey on the edges of the pastry to give the tart a bit of a shine.
Layer the orange slices on top. Sprinkle about 1 tsp. of sugar on top.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes or so.

Remove from oven when golden.

Slice and serve warm or cold.  My tart turned out only slightly sweet (which I was aiming for) allowing the sweetness of the oranges to shine.  It could even be served for a special breakfast....or an afterschool snack as that's what happened here.

Two dessert posts in one week.  I guess next week should be about salad and workouts. :)
Have a great weekend friends!

A time for Comfort Food

I made this delicious cake on Sunday.  It's one of the best desserts I've made in a while.  It's the kind that produces oohss and aahs as the first bite is tasted.  The light textured cake is filled with fresh apple chunks and cinnamon.  It's lovely and moist and not too sweet.  It becomes absolutely mouth watering, gorgeous when you drizzle the warm, homemade caramel sauce on top. The sauce definitely raises the sweetness level but when you mix in the cake and apple with each forkful it's bliss for your mouth.

(If you find this recipe a little too small to read

 just click on it and the link will take you to the full size version.)

The recipe is from Trish Magwood's latest cookbook, In My Mother's Kitchen.  I bought it for myself in the spring and have made several recipes from it so far.  It's filled with recipes that are great for the family and gatherings.  They're easy and accessible and produce delicious results with lots of accompanying photos (which I love).  None have disappointed and some have left me feeling nostalgic for my childhood.

 I even love the picture in the inside cover of recipe cards sprawled over a table.  Some yellowed and stained, bent with use, most are handwritten.  I miss recipe cards.  Do you remember when most homes would have a little stack of blank recipe cards tucked in a drawer ready for the coveted question...Can I have the recipe for that?

recipe cards and box by 1Canoe2

We'll be making this again this weekend to serve at Thanksgiving dinner.

The Season of Rhubarb

Lovely pink stalks with bright green leaves are a sure sign that summer is here.  This week we received our first delivery of our organic farm share.  Eager to use rhubarb for the very first time, I found a delicious recipe for a rhubarb upside down cake.  Not too sweet, not too tart.  The cake is moist and has a light vanilla flavouring and is perfect when served warm out of the oven with it's buttery carmelized topping.  Best of all you can make it in minutes.

Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

Ingredients:

Base:
•2 tbsp (25 mL) butter
•1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
•3 cups (750 mL) coarsley sliced Ontario Rhubarb

Cake:
•1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
•3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar
•2 eggs
•1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
•1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour
•2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
•1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
•1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) nutmeg
•1 cup (250 mL) sour cream or plain yogurt

Preparation:
Base: In 8 inch (2 L) square non-aluminium baking dish, heat butter in 350°F (180°C) oven for about 5 minutes or until melted. Sprinkle brown sugar and then rhubarb evenly in dish; set aside.

Cake: In bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir into creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, making three additions of each.

Spread batter over rhubarb. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed. Let cool on rack for 15 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan; invert cake onto serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe from Foodland Ontario.

Other things inspired by rhubarb.

Rhubarb Rose Chalcedony Necklace handmade by Fiveforty.

A gorgeous rhubarb coloured ceramic button from White Clover Kiln.

Delicious rhubarb orange jelly to liven up your morning toast from Bovinebubbles.

The Metamorphosis of a Banana

I'm not exactly sure when this happened to me but at one point in my life I began to feel my stress level rise over the fruit bowl and the vegetable drawer in the fridge. When carefully trying to decipher what is still good to eat, what's still ok for the guinea pig and what is definitely not good for consumption I'm washed with guilt for the waste.   Slimy peppers and wet bags of green goop that I believe once was lettuce.  Quite disgusting as I slop them into the compost.  For me though, it's not the veggies, or the bruised up apple, or even the dried up plum that makes me feel as guilty as an overripe banana does.  In terms of the fruit bowl what is sadder than seeing a bruised up dejected banana?

Truthfully in our family the banana has a very short edible life.  For me it has to be just past the green stage.  It's ripe, but it's still firm.  I can thoroughly enjoy this dear fruit at this moment, soaking up all its potassium and goodness.  But mere hours from now, as it softens and slightly browns I can barely think of it without causing a gag reflex. 

I can't eat it but I can't bear to throw it out at this stage.   I guess it's just knowing the potential of this little guy.  I mean I could save it and repurpose it at this stage.  With my help it could be something incredible again - a gorgeous, golden top muffin, a moist slice of banana bread or any number of baked goods.  This is where the guilt comes in.  I have the power to remedy the situation just by baking a batch of muffins...but I rarely do.   Banana cake?...occasionally.  Usually though it stays there in the bowl until the very last moment, no recipe could save it from it's inevitable trip to the composter.

 Recently, I can proudly say I did save a banana from it's impending doom.  I made this amazing banana cake with a thick cream cheese frosting. Delish!

P.S. I know you can freeze a banana to use at a later time but this hasn't worked out so well for me yet.  I've done this only months later finding some ice encrusted glob of indeterminable brown substance in a squashed ziploc bag.   Maybe one day, when the freezer and it's contents are sorted and organized...one day.

One Smart Cookie

There have been two things I've wanted to try out since Christmas.  My new Kitchen Aid Mixer and a cookbook I gave to my husband - Quinoa 365.  We 'discovered' quinoa in the summer at Costco. So I guess it had probably been discovered a long time ago but for us it was new!  It can be found in 'grain' (seed) form or flour in any of our local grocery stores (sometimes in the organic section). 

What excited us about quinoa is that it is not only packed with nutrients but it's protein rich.  It's easy to make as well. It virtually cooks like rice and takes about the same time.  We often make it and mix in roasted vegetables with a little olive olive and and maybe a sprinkle of cheese.  Presto it's dinner!

Today I made the Healthy Cookies from Quinoa 365, written by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

Healthy Cookies
2/3 cups water
1/3 quinoa
1 cup butter, softened
1  1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1  1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1  1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1  1/4 quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup flax (ground or whole seeds)
1/3 sesame seeds

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 10 min. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for 6 min. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside to cool.  (I made extra so that I could use it for our dinner tonight).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl.  Add the oats, cooked quinoa, coconut, sunflower seeds, flax and sesame seeds to the flour mixture and stir until well mixed.  Combine with the butter mixture.

Roll the dough in 1 1/2" balls.  Place 2" apart on a baking sheet. Flatten each cookie slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake on centre rack for 8-10 min. until bottoms are light brown.  Allow cookies to completely cool on the baking sheet.

Makes 5 dozen.  Store the cookies in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Mmmm....yum!
Chewy, much like an oatmeal cookies but with a little more interest. You would never guess that there is cooked quinoa in these.   Not too sweet and a little nutty.  Perfect with an afternoon tea.   

Now my only criticism would be the name. When the girls came home they were excited to see I had been baking but their excitement was a little quashed when they heard what it was. Healthy?  Oh, that doesn't sound too tasty (even though they really are).   I think Smart Cookies might suit them better.

This recipe is definitely Family Approved .