Jargaritas

Posted on 22 May 2013 by

Jargarita

These Jargaritas would have been perfect for Cinquo de Mayo.  But since that ship has sailed for another year, you’re just going to have to find another excuse to make them.  Like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or the random weekend cookout.

But they come with a warning…these adult slushees have a way of sneaking up on you and knocking you on your arse.  So proceed with caution.

Jargaritas

Adapted from Bluebonnets and Brownies and Souffle Bombay

  • 12 ounces frozen limeade, thawed
  • 1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 1/2 cups tequila (I prefer patron silver)
  • 3/4 cup triple sec
  • 1 cup chambord
  • 4 cups cold water

If you plan to freeze these in individual portions, go ahead and get your jars and lids ready.  Otherwise find yourself a nice big pitcher or jug and combine all your ingredients.  Stir well.  Give it a taste and add more lime juice or tequila as desired.

Drinks can be portioned into jars, sealed tightly, and stashed in the freezer for about 4 or 5 hours or until they reach your desired level of frozen.  Or they can be enjoyed in a completely unfrozen state.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Drinks, Photo, Recipe | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Weeknight Chicken and Mushroom Sauce

Posted on 15 May 2013 by

Untitled-1

I mentioned how my friend Amber is responsible for my rather manic fascination with making strawberry shortcake crumb topping to recreate a childhood food memory.  I briefly mentioned how she readily shares the arsenal of tools that she has, sometimes having Amazon dropping an unexpected box of exactly what you need on your door step.  That’s how I came to have Weeknight Chicken and Mushroom Sauce.

No, Amber didn’t have dinner delivered to my house.  What she did was hear me say that I was overwhelmed by the struggle to be back at work (even if it was just one or two days a week at that time), take care of the Tater Tot, and cook dinner on a regular basis.  She heard me and she took action.  Thanks to Amazon’s freakishly quick ability to get product delivered, a day later there was a smiling Amazon.com box sitting on my doorstep.  Inside was a survival guide with recipes and strategies for how to keep The Mistah and I fed in spite of the crazy new demands on our time and attention.

A. Freaking. Men.

Better than a casserole that freezes beautifully (but that won’t fit in my poorly chosen side by side), Amber gave me the tools to fit cooking back into my routine.  I still have days where I struggle with it.  But I also have days where I thaw some chicken breasts, chop some mushrooms, and call it dinner.  Amber, I hope I can return this act of kindness to you because it’s made a world of difference to me.

Weeknight Chicken and Mushroom Sauce

Adapted from Parents Need to Eat Too

BAH Note:  This is what I scribbled on a piece of paper and tucked into the book at this recipe’s page – “easy weeknight supper  can cook chicken 3 minutes / side then cook 5-10 min @ 350 degrees”  In my scribbles, capitalization and punctuation seem to be optional.

If the idea of having to wash two frying pans makes you want to cry, once you remove the cooked chicken breasts from the oven (carefully, that handle is going to be HOT), wrap the chicken in a bit of foil to keep it warm and use that pan to make the sauce, omitting 3rd tablespoon of oil.  You’ll get to the same place, it will just take a little longer.

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons agave or honey
  • 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with a pinch of kosher salt and some black pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an oven safe frying pan over medium heat.  When the oil shimmers, add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for three minutes on each side.  Transfer the pan to the oven and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the chicken is done.

While the chicken finishes cooking in the oven, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to another skillet and heat until it shimmers.  Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the liquid released by the mushrooms is mostly evaporated.  Add the sherry, agave (or honey), and vinegar to the pan and raise the heat to high.  Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and add the butter to the sauce, whisking to combine.  Taste for seasoning and add kosher salt to taste.

Add the cooked chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and serve the chicken topped with mushrooms and sauce.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Chicken, Cooking, Recipe | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Strawberry Shortcake Crumb Topping

Posted on 9 May 2013 by

Strawberry Shortcake Crumb Topping

I often find the words “back in my day” tumbling out of my mouth.  As enjoyable as I find these trips down memory lane, I’m not sure the person I’m forcing the reminiscence upon would say the same.  Unless we happen to have a shared or similar point of reference…and then I need to watch out.  Because this leisurely stroll can quickly become an all out sprint that leads to things I never expected.  Case in point?  Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake Bars.

My pal Amber spoils me.  Seriously.  For as long as I have had the good fortune to know her, she has been a cool breeze on a warm summer day.  In the midst of pain she is ready with a comforting embrace.  When the Universe smiles on you, she celebrates your good news with joy and enthusiasm.  When you say that you don’t know how you’re going to get through this, she reaches into her bag of tricks and gives you the tool you need [or has Amazon deliver it to your door ; ) ].  And when you randomly start talking about the Good Humor truck from back in the day, she not only skips down memory lane with you, she plants the seed in your head to recreate your favorite offering from the ice cream man.  This is how her visit through town resulted in me reuniting with my old friend Strawberry Shortcake.

For me, Strawberry Shortcake was all about the outer crumb coating.  The rest of the ice cream was merely the vehicle to get the crumbs in my mouth.  So I got excited when Amber alerted me to the fact that there was a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake AND the Crumb Topping in a new cookbook, Classic Snacks Made From Scratch.  It pretty much sparked an obsession to drown out the voice in my head screaming “I WANT IT.  MAKE IT NOW!”

There’s no clever or interesting side story here.  I bought the cookbook.  I bought freeze dried strawberries.  I bought a pint of Breyer’s Strawberry Ice Cream.  I had the rest of the ingredients so I got down to business.

Eventually, the crumbs were just as good in my kitchen as they were in my memory.  I say eventually because Strawberry Shortcake Crumb Topping is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  I dipped a damp finger into the crumb to give them a taste and thought they were good…but something was missing.  Turns out that something was the ice cream.  There is a dynamic between the crumb and the ice cream that brings the crumb topping to life.  Just add ice cream and it goes from being “eh” to being “hell yeah”.

By the time I had worked my way through that pint of ice cream I wasn’t just topping my Breyer’s with the crumbs.  I was mixing them in like my own private Ben and Jerry’s flavor.

Strawberry Shortcake Crumb Topping

Adapted from Classic Snacks Made From Scratch

BAH Note:  You’ll have to search around for freeze dried strawberries.  I found mine at Wegmans.  If you have a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods nearby, I’d start there.  Or you can save yourself some searching and just hit the online bazaar that is Amazon and have them delivered to your door.

To make the strawberry powder, pulverize the freeze dried strawberries using your method of choice – food processor, mortar and pestle, or plastic bag and rolling pin.  You want the powder to be fine.  Approximately 3/4 of an ounce of freeze dried strawberries will net the 3 tablespoons you need for the recipe.

  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup powdered milk
  • 3 tablespoons freeze dried strawberry powder (see note above)
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add the melted butter and use a fork to stir until you get clumps of crumb.

Serve on the ice cream flavor of your choice.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Cooking, Dessert, Food, Photo, Recipe | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Bacon Cheddar Waffles

Posted on 7 May 2013 by

Bacon Cheddar Waffle

Back in the day….and by that I mean 2012…I was on Twitter.  All.  The.  Time.  Why?  Because I could.  And because I wanted to.  In the virtual world I don’t need to worry about being socially awkward.  It’s hard to stumble over your words with only 140 characters.  But it’s easy to join in a conversation, or better yet, to spark one.

Most of the time in real life I stand back and listen to conversations go on around me.  But on Twitter I can be witty and lively in the conversation.  And I can sound as though I know what the hell I am talking about….in real life, that’s not the case much of the time.

For example, let’s consider a recent tweet…”All waffles should have bacon and cheese in them.”  That statement is A) clever; B) authoritative; C) truth; D) common sense.

Actually it is all of those things, but it’s not the kind of statement that I would make in the course of casual conversation.  Unless our conversation was about waffles, bacon, or cheese.  Or you had previously resided in a dorm, house, or apartment with me.  But the odds of that happening are pretty low so I’m confident in saying that it’s unlikely I would say that to you in an ordinary conversation.

And yet it led to a conversation on Twitter where RunningOnButter believed that I spoke as a waffle authority.  RunningOnButter doesn’t know me outside of Twitter.  ROB doesn’t know if I have any credentials to present myself as a waffle authority.  But ROB took my pronouncement that bacon and cheese are integral waffle components as the truth.

Twitter Grab

So now, thanks to Twitter, I am a waffle authority.  I don’t think I will add that to my resume.  But it’s the kind of thing I would use as small talk…if I were inclined to make small talk.

As it is, most of my free time and conversations are with a pre-verbal toddler.  And until she realizes otherwise, I am an authority on everything!

Bacon Cheddar Waffles

Adapted from Shutterbean

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Set a wire rack inside a sheet pan and heat your oven to 200 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until blended.  Add the cheese and bacon to the flour mixture and stir to combine.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil.  Add the flour mixture to the milk and egg mixture and stir to combine, being careful not to over mix.

Grease your waffle iron and get it heating.  When ready, pour 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup batter into your iron and cook until done.  Transfer the waffles to the prepared sheet pan and give them a 10 minute rest in the warmed oven.

Slather with butter and syrup.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Cooking, Food, Photo, Recipe | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Clodagh’s Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Posted on 2 May 2013 by

Mint Chocolate Chip

Disclaimer:  The good folks at Kerrygold provided me with a copy of Coldagh’s Kitchen Diaries and coupons for their fantabulous butter.  I highly recommend both.

I have found a new outlet to get baked goods out of my house….it’s called daycare.  Not that my coworkers have tired of being on the receiving end of what comes out of my kitchen.  It’s just that it’s good to have options. And now that my daily activities include daycare drop-off and pick-up, I can spread the love (and the calories) around a little further.

When The Mistah and I became parents, it was with less than 48 hours notice.  So where most parents have nine months to plan, prepare, and make arrangement for life after a baby arrives, we were winging it.  Our heads were still  spinning at the idea of a baby as we swept through the aisles at Target and Babies R Us to get the stuff that we thought we might need.  And even though the list of what you really need to bring a baby home can be rather short, those carts filled up pretty damn quickly.

So the buying tons of stuff part of becoming parents got taken care of.  And then we brought Lib home.  And the taking care of a little person got underway.  Which led to buying more stuff to take care of our little person.  It went on like this for a while.  And then one day, two and a half months had gone by and I needed to go back to work.

It was only after we became parents that I had any understanding about how hard it is to get an infant into daycare.  When you are able to estimate your child’s arrival in the world, you’ve got the luxury of time on your side.  You can go to a daycare and get a spot in their infant program.  When your family grows by +1 overnight, the stars need to align, the Universe needs to smile on you, and you need to make a wish upon a falling star to find a daycare center that has openings for an infant.

And as if I needed further proof that the Universe was smiling on our adoption, we managed to do just that. Now our child is charming her way into the hearts of the folks at daycare, one day at a time.  Seriously, she has her own fanclub at daycare…teachers from other classrooms come by to see her and say hello.

As her parent, I want to make sure I acknowledge the people who spend their day caring for my child so that I can spend my day at work.  And it never hurts to build a little goodwill for those days when my normally charming child chooses to be a devilish handful.

If you find yourself hankering for a little mint chocolate fix, wanting to say say thank you, or maybe even apologizing in advance for something that your child may or may not do in the days to come, these cupcakes have your back.

Clodagh’s Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted from Clodagh’s Kitchen Diaries

BAH Note:  If you don’t have self rising flour in your pantry, you can substitute 1 cup all purpose flour + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/4 teaspoon salt.  My cupcakes sank in the middle as they cooled….that could have been my doing or not….I just used the frosting to camouflage that and nobody was the wiser.

  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons self rising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
  • 2 ounces mini chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with 9 or 10 baking cups.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined before adding the next one.  Add the mint extract and then use a spatula to fold in the flour mixture until combined.

Divide the batter among the baking cups and bake for 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.  Cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before turning the cupcakes out and cooling completely on a rack.

{printable recipe}

Mint Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

Adapted from Abby Dodge

BAH Note:  If you want a richer frosting, add up to an additional 1/2 stick butter.  Taste the frosting and if you want a mintier flavor, add another 1/2 teaspoon extract.

  • 1 stick of butter, room temperature
  • 7 ounces marshmallow fluff
  • 3/4 powdered sugar
  • 1  teaspoons mint extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • green food coloring (optional)

Combine butter and marshmallow in the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat on medium until completely smooth.  Reduce speed to low and add confectioners sugar, mint extract, and salt.  Continue to beat until smooth and fluffy.  If using food color, add it a few drops at a time and mix until the color is distributed.  Add more food color to get your desired shade of green.

Frost your cupcakes, garnish with mini chocolate chips, and enjoy.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Baking, Cooking, Food, Photo, Recipe, Sweets | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Easy Mac and Cheese

Posted on 30 April 2013 by

anti easy mac

I swear this rambling is going to get to a point….and a recipe.

Parenting styles.  Seems like there is a new one every week.  I hope to avoid becoming any type of parenting caricature…tiger, helicopter… by embracing the things that work for me and creating my own style.  That may mean…and this may sound crazy…that I don’t tell Lib she has to share her toys, books, and what have you.  What if I teach her the value of taking turns so that she understands you don’t automatically get something just because you want it?  How about if I get her to understand that sometimes you have to wait your turn?  And that she also don’t have to give something up just because someone else also wants it.  They also need to wait their turn.  Crazy right?

How many ideas sounded crazy at first?  Electricity? Cars? Flight?  Once upon a time they were fringe ideas.  Now they are taken for granted as being universally true and necessary.  And dare I say, they make life easier.  As someone who is for things that make life easier…I’m down with all that.

I am also down with mac and cheese.  Not that mac and cheese is revolutionary in any way.  But we have come to expect it to be quick and easy.  It is even packaged in uber easy single servings.  Here comes the crazy.  Single serve mac and cheese can be easy even when you make it from scratch.

Crazy? Universally true and necessary?  You decide.

Easy Mac and Cheese

Adapted from The Salt

BAH Note:  If you have more than one mouth waiting to get some of this, go ahead and double the recipe.  And even if you only have one mouth waiting for this, you still might want to make a double batch.  If you don’t tell, I won’t judge.

  • 1/4 cup elbow macaroni
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon flour

Combine the macaroni and water in a medium size microwave safe bowl, preferably one with handles.  Microwave on high for 4 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the pasta is almost al dente.  If your pasta starts to dry out before it is done cooking, add an additional two tablespoons of water and continue cooking.

Add the milk, cheese, and flour to the bowl and stir to combine.  Microwave in 30 second increments until the cheese, milk, and flour have turned into a sauce.  Taste for seasoning and add kosher salt to taste.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Cooking, Food, Pasta, Recipe | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Big Ass Biscuits

Posted on 17 April 2013 by

Big Ass Biscuits

Remember all those times you were asked to picture your life in x number of years?  Did your idea of what that life was include the nitty gritty details?  Like that you would struggle with {fill in the blank with your issue of choice} or that you would find yourself {name your situation}?  Probably not.  At least I didn’t.  Because if I had then maybe I would have a handle on my battle with time management by now.

I haven’t found my solution yet.  I maintain a calendar; I write myself notes; I set reminders on my smart(er than I am) phone.  And still deadlines come and go.  I’ve become more accepting of the idea that whatever “it” is will get done eventually.  There’s only but so much time in a day.  Perhaps acknowledging that is the solution in and of itself.  I dunno.

I do know that I now add appointments to my calendar to do things like wash Miss Libby’s dirty clothes and to respond to emails.  Funny, I just bought Lib’s spring/summer wardrobe and I swear that she could probably go about three weeks before she ran out of things to wear.  Coincidence?  I wonder.

One thing I have been able to do is make these Big Ass Biscuits.  And shove them in my mouth.  On more than one occasion. If the day ever comes when I have to put an appointment on the calendar to throw together some butter, flour, and cheese and bake until golden brown and delicious, then I will be a lost cause.

Until then, I guess there’s hope for me yet.

Big Ass Biscuits

Adapted from Cook’s Country

BAH Note:  I call these Big Ass Biscuits because they are sizeable.  But also because consumption of them on a regular basis will contribute to a personal expansion of sizeable proportions.  One way I try and keep things from getting out of control is to only make a half batch of biscuits.  If  you have more self control than I do, or have other people around to take one for the team, I would double the quantities listed below to make a dozen biscuits.  PS, the cheese is totally optional, but why wouldn’t you?

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup grated cheese (I’ve used both parmesan and cheddar)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk, cold
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Heat oven to 475 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cheese, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.

Combine the cold buttermilk and cooled butter in a measuring cup or small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.  The cold buttermilk will cause the melted butter to clump up and thicken a bit.  If that does not happen, set your cup or bowl in the fridge for a few moments.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined being careful not to overmix.  Use an ice cream disher to portion the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.  Leave a good bit of room between them because they are going to spread.

Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.  Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Baking, Breads, Cooking, Food, Photo, Recipe | Tagged | 7 Comments

Easy Lemon Curd

Posted on 21 February 2013 by

Easy Lemon Curd

I had to check my typing and make sure I did not title this post Easy Lemon Crud.  Because I have crud on my mind.  Our house has become a breeding ground for crud and crap thanks to the germs that our Tater Tot brings home from daycare.  Jokingly, the Mistah and I have taken to calling her Patient Zero every time she coughs in our face.  This is what happens when you watch Contagion, become acutely aware of how easily germs get transmitted, and spend a lot of up close and personal time with a germ spreader.

But you didn’t come here to read about crud.  No, I lured you here with the promise of easy lemon curd.

What I am about to say is meant as a compliment….this curd makes me think of the Tastycake Lemon pies that would sometimes find their way into my hands as a youngster.  These are not be confused with those other hand pies.  The ones that were drowned in a sugary glaze to mask the stale taste of dry pastry.  Sorry Hostess, I never was a fan.

Golden rectangles of thin crust sandwiching smooth, sweet filling with a hit of puckery tang….oh yeah, that’s the ticket.  Thanks to Southern Living, I can whip  up a batch of lemony happiness whenever the mood strikes me.  But since I can’t be trusted not to stand in front of the open refrigerator and eat this by the spoonful out of the container, I often need to ignore this mood when it strikes.

Instead, I go snuggle with Patient Zero.  It’s a different kind of happiness…crud, germs, and all.

Easy Lemon Curd

Adapted from Southern Living, February 2013

BAH Note:  As much as I can appreciate shoving this in your face straight from jar, you might want to serve it with something….maybe some Angel Food Cake?  Or I can see it being perfection in a Linzer Cookie.  Of course, a DIY hand pie is an obvious, and classic, choice.  Southern Living says this will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.

I reduced the amount of sugar since I used Meyer Lemons.  If you are using regular lemons instead of Meyer Lemons, Southern Living calls for 2 cups of sugar.

The recipe has you cook the curd in the microwave, stirring it every minute or so.  I said it was easy, I didn’t say it wasn’t hands on. Keep in mind that you will be moving this bowl in and out of the microwave so if you have one with a handle (like a batter bowl) definitely use it.

If you prefer, you can transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, whisking constantly, until the curd thickens.

  • 1 cup lemon juice (from approximately 6 lemons)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs

Using a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar in a medium microwave safe bowl until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined after each egg.

On low speed, slowly add the lemon juice and zest to the butter mixture.  The mixture will look curdled and broken so don’t worry that you’ve done something wrong when you see it.

Transfer the bowl to the microwave and cook on HIGH for 5 minutes, stirring every minute.  Continue to microwave on HIGH, stirring every 30 seconds, another few minutes until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Place plastic wrap directly on the curd to prevent a film from forming and chill in the refrigerator until cooled completely.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Cooking, Dessert, Photo, Recipe, Sweets | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Angel Food Cake

Posted on 14 February 2013 by

cake

My Grandmother is old.  I say that because she just turned 90.  And let’s be honest….90 IS old.  But the funny thing is that in my mind, she’s always been old in an ageless sort of way.  As a child I didn’t really understand the concept of age.  I was young.  Everyone not young was old.  There was no in between.

So imagine my surprise when, as an adult, I did the math and figured out that my grandmother was only a few years older than I am now when she and my grandfather took on the responsibility for raising me and my brother.  I’m no young whippersnapper but I’m certainly not old either.  Yes, I’ve reached the point in my life where the ghosts of all kinds of youthful arrogance and naivety come back to haunt me.

Some of these moments amuse me….like how I’ve become the crotchety old lady on the block who doesn’t want the  kids loitering around my yard.  Others make me think that I’ve always had a guardian angel on speed dial….let’s just say age has made me rethink the wisdom of some of my youthful decisions.

But back to my agelessly old grandmother….as an adult I’ve had the opportunity to see her through a completely different lens.  It was when I started to see her as her own person and not merely a wife, mother, or grandmother, that I realized I did not give her enough credit for the life she has lived.  She used family, work, and faith to define herself.  I didn’t used to understand that.   Now I see it as her way of declaring I believe, I love, and I think for myself.  I may not agree with her choices but I understand they were hers to make.

Way too often we never manage to see the people closest to us as being independent of us.  We define and understand them in the way that suits us best without regard for whether or not this takes into account the fact that they are imperfect people with their own flaws and struggles.

I’m lucky.  I have had the opportunity to reach this realization and see my grandmother for herself….not for who I wished she were…and appreciate her beautiful imperfections.  I can only hope that Libby learns this life lesson a little quicker than I did.  I’ve got my fingers crossed that one day she will understand that while I may not be the person she thought I should be, I am more than a list of my imperfections.

I also hope she can tell by looking at pictures exactly how much joy she brought to one old lady.  It makes me sad to know that Libby won’t remember these early moments.  So part of my job is to share with Libby the stories about the lady who called her “My Sunshine”.  I can tell Libby how she made her very first trip to Lexington Market to pick up crabcakes for her Great Grandmother’s 90th birthday lunch.  And that when her Great Grandmother tasted this Angel Food Birthday Cake, the making of which Libby supervised from her highchair, she said it was the best one she’d ever had.

two elizabeths

two elizabeth’s – one old and one young – are the bookends of my life

Angel Food Cake

Adapted from Melissa d’Arabian

BAH Note: If you don’t have, or can’t find, superfine sugar in your grocery store, just give plain old white sugar a whirl in a food processor or spice grinder for about 15 seconds.  It may give your workbowl a sandblasted look but life is full of enough aggravations and finding sugar shouldn’t be one of them.  Be sure NOT to grease your loaf pan….the foam needs to be able to grab onto the pan to get that beautiful lift.

BAH Tip: You do need to be vigilant about not getting any egg yolks in your whites.  Your best bet is to separate the eggs one at a time into a  separate bowl.  If you get a clean catch, transfer the white to the bowl of your mixer and proceed with the next egg.  If not, you haven’t contaminated your entire batch of egg whites.  And be sure to keep those yolks for something like custard or frittata.

  • 3/4 cup superfine sugar
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 7 large egg whites at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 tablespoon kosher salt

Heat your oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk together the flour with half of the sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

In the workbowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt on medium low speed until the mixture begins to just get a bit foamy.  Slowly add the other half of the sugar and continue to mix until soft peaks form.  It will take a few minutes but be patient here and let the mixer do its thing.  If crank up the speed thinking you’ll save time, you might overmix your whites.

Once you have soft peaks, turn off the mixer.  Sift half of the sugar/flour mixture onto your egg whites and use a spatula to fold them in. Sift the remaining sugar/flour and fold to incorporate.  Pour the batter into an ungreased metal loaf pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, take a deep breath, and turn the pan upside down onto two cans (there should be one can under each of the pan’s nubby handles).  I promise, the cake will not fall out.  Allow to cool for 1 hour and then run an offset spatula, knife, or pancake flipper around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the sides of the pan.  Turn the cake out to cool completely on a rack.  Use a serrated knife to slice.

{printable recipe}

Posted in Baking, Cooking, Dessert, Food, Photo, Recipe | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Pimento Cheese

Posted on 30 January 2013 by

8421576412_62da4af718_bOnce upon a time, not so long ago, my routine went something like this:

  • Get up
  • Go to work
  • Come home
  • Dinner
  • Go to bed

Interspersed, at totally random intervals, were things like:

  • Run errands
  • Meet friends for coffee/drinks/dinner
  • Read a book
  • Take pictures
  • Cook, leisurely
  • Nap

There were also regular reoccurring chores that worked their way into the day as needed:

  • Laundry
  • Dishes
  • Cat box
  • Trash

It was a pretty relaxed schedule where, between me and The Mistah, things got done and we still had bits of time to do with as we wished.  And then we became parents.

Between the little person who was now relying on us for every aspect of her care and the deficit of sleep that The Mistah and I were running, I had to write down reminders to myself of even the most basic things to do during the day:

  • Load dishwasher
  • Run dishwasher
  • Put away dishes
  • Wash bottles
  • Wash formula jug
  • Make formula
  • Fill bottles
  • Sweep
  • Scoop cat box
  • Wash baby clothes
  • Trash
  • Put away clothes
  • Empty diaper genie

Depending on the day in question, some of those things might need to be done more than once….so lather, rinse, repeat as necessary.  And then, once Libby started daycare, we had to fit all that in either before or after the end of the work day.  I have to be honest, it has not been easy to maintain some aspects of our life to the same degree as we did before becoming parents.  I don’t cook like I used to…gone are the days of leisurely preparing meals.  I need to maximize the efficiency of what time I get in the kitchen and get food on the table.  And sadly, the other casualty is the state of the house itself.  We have tumbleweeds of cat hair rolling around the hard wood floors, multiplying like Tribbles; clean clothes mound up and take up residence in our bedroom instead of being folded, hung, and put away; and I swear the house itself has shrunk.  We didn’t use to have a lot of clutter.  But now piles and stacks and heaps have become the norm instead of the exception.

And I’ve decided to stop beating myself up about it.  Because these things are the result of choosing to spend time with Libby.  Yes, I could put her in her crib and spend a weekend afternoon (or a Tuesday night) braising or baking, cleaning and organizing.  But she is only ever going to be this age once.  If I miss out on helping her discover the world around her now, I don’t get a second chance later.  So maybe I choose to use a quiet weeknight after she’s gone to bed to sew her a bib instead of sweeping up tumbleweeds of cat hair.  Don’t get me wrong, a clean, tidy house gives me inner peace.  But seeing her wear her bib like a superhero cape and “fly” gives me way more joy.

So, if you happen to pop in to say hi or we set up a date for you to come over for a leisurely visit, I ask that you kindly turn a blind eye to the state of my house.  I’ll do my best to make things somewhat presentable.  I may even manage to pull together a little something for us to nibble on.  And I will most certainly try and distract you with adorable baby cheeks and squeals.

Pimento Cheese

Adapted from Biscuits and Such

BAH Note: I love Elena’s experience and tradition of hand kneeding the pimento cheese in a ziplock bag.  Seriously, if I had luxury of time these days, I’d give that a try.  And I totally see that becoming one of Libby’s ways to help me in the kitchen and introduce her to cooking.  But right now, time is not on my side so I turn to the food processor.  Whichever way you choose to make this delightful spread is perfectly acceptable.

Serve on crackers, spooned into the cavity of a celery stalk, or eat right from the spoon.  Much like my housekeeping choices these days, there’s no right or wrong, only what works for you.

  • 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (go for something with serious bite here)
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons mayo
  • 4 ounces diced pimento, drained (look for this in a jar at the grocery store)

Using the shredding disk of your food processor, shred the cheddar.  Dump the shredded cheese out of the workbowl onto a sheet of parchment, foil, or paper towel and replace the shredding blade with the regular blade.  Return the cheddar to the food processor and add 2 tablespoons mayo and the drained pimento.  Process, adding the additional mayo as necessary, until you reach your desired consistency.

{printable recipe}

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