Author Archives: kamillecscellick

Rhubarb-Strawberry filled Lime Cupcakes

Have you noticed how many cupcake shops have popped up in the past five years?  I have loved baking ever since I was little.  My true love for the art came in my first Home Economic class in sixth grade.  True to any first year Home Ec. class, you learn a plethora of introductory level crafts.  I still remember learning plastic canvas, where I made a tissue box cover of penguins designed for my mom, due to her love of the cute little creatures.  But seriously, although my mom heaped words of praise upon my creation–do we really need tissue box covers lining the aisles of Goodwill (a lost craft that should remain lost)?

I made a pillow cover, did at home projects of our choice, created various items in the kitchen & decided that I would undertake the largest size duffle bag (think body bag) while all my peers were a bit more sensible & chose the smallest one.  Little did I know that the duffle bag scenario would be a metaphor for my life.

Biting off more than I can chew.  My vision of what I can accomplish and what I will actually tackle are two different notions.  But in some ways, I like how this transfers to my baking.  I’m all for simple desserts & baked goods; however, I plain ole’ love creating something a bit more time consuming to have a wonderful end product.  Sometimes this is hard with some of my perfectionist sensitivities, because I would rather not attempt something & fail than attempt it at all.

It reminds me of the pie crust portion of Home Econonics.  Mrs. Haile, my teacher, showed us how to cut the butter into the flour, add just a little ice cold water, lightly combine it, chill, roll & transfer to the pie plate.  This terrified me.  The idea of transferring to have it split, crack, tear or crumble did not look appealing in the slightest.  And although I had Kitchenaid mixer on my wish list since 11 years old, it wasn’t until I was 20 years old that I began to overcome my fear of the pie crust and make pie after pie.

I’ve realized that baking is like that (as well as cooking).  We all have flops.  In fact, as I was making this recipe, I was trying to make Neoclassic Buttercream (cook the sugar, add said sugar mixture to egg yolks, mix & mix, cool, add butter).  What was the end result–pieces of chewy sugar/caramel dispersed throughout a 1/2 pound of butter.  Sad yes–defeated no.  I will go back and tackle it again, same as the pie crust.  Do I make a perfect pie crust with no flaws?  No.   Julia Child approached the culinary arts with embracing the flaws & going with it.  That’s how I began to see the pie crust and so many other baking adventures.

But, when we do have monumental food successes–they make up for the 1/2 pound of butter that got ruined (actually–I’m going to use it for some frosting still), flavorless muffins, or burnt dinner.  So, as with the advent of the cupcake shops, culinary triumphs & 2+hours of baking with a 5 second eating party–meet the cupcake who will convert even the die hard chocolate lover.

I am utterly, head over heals, infatuated-crazy about these cupcakes.  The melding of the lime cupcake with the tang of the rhubarb sauce, sweetness of the strawberry puree and creamy, richness of the cream cheese frosting (laced with strawberry puree) makes for a complete flavor profile in a dessert. I’m not fond of using the word “best” when talking about food on a blog.  However, I’m about to break that vow right now as these cupcakes are absolutely superb.  Dare I say it, “the best.”  They’re knock your socks off good.  If you have time to spare–you need to make these.  But, I’m warning you if you do, you might not ever be able to eat a “so-so” cupcake again.  Just saying:)

Rhubarb-Strawberry Filled Lime Cupcake & Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting (printable recipe)

The cupcake has been changed from a cupcake base found in Rose’s Heavenly Cakes Cookbook, which is a white cupcake & I have changed it to a lime cupcake.  If you don’t have a scale, then I would highly recommend investing in one; as it will make your baked items a step up.  I used cake flour, as it has a lower protein content versus all-purpose.  This being said, you can use all-purpose with the amount in parenthesis below.  You can make the cupcake the day before and assemble them the next day.  More information on rhubarb is found here.

Lime Cupcakes

The total capacity of the liquid should measure 2/3 cup.  Measure the milk to 1/2 cup and the rest should be lime juice.
  • 3 large egg whites (90 grams), room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120 grams) whole milk
  • a little less than 1/4 cup (40 grams) lime juice, 2 limes
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (1 3/4 cup if using unbleached all-purpose flour) sifted into the cup & leveled off (200 grams) cake flour
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 to 1 1/2 Tb lime zest, zest of 2 limes
  • 2 1/4 plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (65 to 75 degrees)

Preheat the oven: Line 14 to 16 cupcake liners in a muffin tin and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the liquids: In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites, 3 tablespoons of the milk and vanilla until lightly combined.

Make the batter: In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, lime zest, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add the butter and the remaining milk & lime juice on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients & strengthen the structure.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Scoop batter into the lined muffin tin (it should weigh about 1.7 ounces/50 grams) filling about 3/4 full. Smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula.

Bake the cupcakes: Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cupcakes spring back when pressed lightly in the centers.

Cool the cupcakes: Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove them from the pans and set them on a wire rack.  Cool completely.

Rhubarb Sauce

  • 2 cups rhubarb, 1/4 inch slices
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Directions: Throw the chopped rhubarb, water & sugar in a small pot over medium heat.  Stir every now & again.  Allow it to cook down until it resembles chunky applesauce (except rhubarb).  Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Strawberry Puree

  • 2/3 cup hulled strawberries, cleaned

Put the hulled strawberries into a food processor and puree until no more chunks appear.  Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 Tb unsalted butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tb strawberry puree
Side note: I process the butter & cream cheese in a food processor, until thoroughly combined.  Then, I added 1 cup of powdered sugar along with the strawberry puree and processed again (10 seconds).  I ended up putting it all in the stand mixer, added one more cup of powdered sugar & mixed on medium speed, until it was all combined.

Put the butter & cream cheese in an electric mixer medium speed for 1 minute.  Add strawberry puree and mix on medium until blended.  Add one cup powdered sugar & mix for 30 seconds.  Add an additional 3/4 cup to 1 cup of powdered sugar.  The frosting shouldn’t be too thick, but not ultra runny.

Assemble the Cupcakes:

  1. Take the cupcake and cut out a cone from the center of each.  Go here for instructions on this method.
  2. Remove the cone & cut off the bottom half (the pointed end) and save the top half (eat the bottom half).
  3. Put 1 teaspoon of rhubarb sauce in the cut out portion of the cupcake.  Put 1/8-1/4 tsp of strawberry puree on top of rhubarb sauce.
  4. Place the top part of the cone back on top of the sauce & puree.  Press down gently, just enough to avoid the filling coming out.
  5. Either pipe the frosting on top to cover the cut out area or spoon it on top.
  6. Eat!!!

What if it’s not about you?

I wrote on my spiritual journey about the process of forgiveness, the road of grace & holiness.  I was just reading this & this today about Isaiah 6 & the unforgiving servant, which I wrote about earlier in the month.  The first post was talking about praying for our enemies, while the second one retold the story of Matthew 18:21-35.  Both go hand in hand revolving around this word we call mercy.

In our world of seeking justice, righting wrong with a slap back, cheering the protagonist on toward triumph in their plot against the antagonist, it’s no wonder we truly have no idea what mercy is really about.

Most of us don’t live on the front lines of hell, where true dictators are oppressing us & taking away our human dignity & happiness.  If you’re a church goer, you probably haven’t heard a congregational reading of Psalm 137 recently (or at all for that matter).  The psalmist is speaking of the oppressors who have come in and dashed their babies against rocks, killing them and they want justice in return.  It’s too easy to think that praying for our enemies only comes in these traumatic forms.  Or that enemy is the vilified stepparent, corporate bureaucrat, or conniving thief.  Yet, for the most part it’s not.

Jesus simply said this,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Sometimes an enemy is someone we love, but don’t respect.  Most times it’s someone who was put in a position to guard us, love us, and look after our well-being; but, they have scarred us, wounded us, and broken our trust.  The very people who some find easy to love is the very person others deem as enemy.  It could be a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a trusted adviser, teacher or friend.  For me, my enemies come in the form of people I have esteemed and loved dearly at one point, which makes it that much harder to love & show mercy.  Because they are the people who have turned on me in one form or another.

Yet today as I was thinking about one of my “enemies” and how much anger can rise up at them.  Jesus’ words remind me to pray for them.  Not because I pray words of justice to pour upon them like the unmerciful servant.  No, that would be accepting grace & mercy from the judge for myself, while calling for the law to be thrown upon them.  Instead, I pray that mercy & kindness would be poured out on them.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. –Matthew 5:7 & 8

I realized that in order to understand mercy, I have to give it.  And in order to see God, my arteries can’t be clogged with revenge & self advancement.  And maybe, just maybe, forgiveness really isn’t about me & my issues, but more about cutting the anchor of narcissism and showing God’s glory to advance his goodness, grace, mercy & love.  How much more freeing would our relationships & world be if we were able to free others from their debt “owed us?”

This cutting of the anchor, praying for our enemy business isn’t easy, but so freeing.  As I have chosen to “cut” (forgive) the anchor, I have seen how my heart for my enemy turns to genuine love & compassion.  I want what’s truly best for them.  I begin to see them as the person God does.  However, there are those days or weeks where the past creeps in and I begin to feel anything but love towards them.  It’s like exercising & good nutrition–it’s ongoing.  You can’t expect to stay fit & healthy by only exercising & eating well for two months out of the year.  So how do you exercise the health of your soul?  How do these words of Jesus in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ pertain to your current situation of blessing those who curse you & forgiving your enemies?  What is your story of cutting the anchor to further God’s glory?

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you…Do to others as you would have them do to you…If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that…But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.  Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”–Luke 6:27-37

A No Fuss Sausage Soup

In my life as a blogger I have realized a couple things.  One is that I rarely document actual meals.  I’m more of a baked treat sort of gal.  You know, mama by day renegade baker by night–sort of thing.  Two is that I tend to throw out a lot of posts in one week and then sit back the next couple.  But I find I’m really fine with that.  Well, in fact, I’m fine with both number one & two.

I think the other reason I don’t document many main dishes or side dishes is because they’re finicky.  They require a person, say a mama of two small kids, to actually think out how to get the food to the table by the only source of light on the main floor for a picture (we live in a cave of a condo), while corralling in the children (get utensils, plates, & whiny one year old who should have eaten like 20 minutes before the photo shoot) to eat said food and remember all the ingredients & steps, which went into making the dish.  That’s too much folks.  I don’t get paid for this gig & baking is so much easier (& for me–so much more fun).

But, I have actually taken pictures of a couple food items outside of the “flour, sugar, butter” category and feel like it might be as good a time as any to showcase them.  Here’s how I make dinner.  I’m not a planner really.  I have flops along with the successes.  My kids are not relatively picky, but if I served them an all-you-can-eat fruit buffet, they would never mind.  Some vegetables are hit and miss, but I never stop serving them.  My oldest enjoyed broccoli till 10 months then rejected it every single time until recently.  I give them way out clauses written into dinner, because there are foods I might love most of the time, but at a certain moment it just doesn’t sound too good.

The most planning I have when it comes to a meal is making sure I’ve taken the meat out of the deep freezer the night (or two) beforehand or making dough a couple hours before baking.  I enjoy cooking from scratch.  I love being able to know all the ingredients by name that I’m putting into my families’ bodies.  And that’s why I love to bake as well.  Sure, eating only baked goods isn’t healthy alone or done in excess, but when it’s me doing the baking (instead of say Nabisco) than I know the ingredient list is something I recognize.

Okay, I feel like I’m ranting at this point.  Sorry, I’m done at this point and time.  Maybe it’s because I watched Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution and read Animal Vegetable Miracle on my vacation.  Both encouraging us to know where our food is coming from, getting back into the kitchen & using fresh/local ingredients.  I have been encouraged to post more recipes that are relatively easy to get those of you who don’t really like to cook–to get in the kitchen and enjoy it more.  So I thought I would post this wonderful soup, which is seriously only like six or seven ingredients.  It’s hearty and not fussy.  And more importantly, my family ate it all up.  Soups are always a sure win in our house for the girls and I hope it is the same for your house.

Italian Sausage Kale-Potato Soup (printable recipe)

This recipe is adapted from Epicurious.  I buy Isernio’s sausage & freeze it.  When dinner was coming up quickly, I simply defrosted the chicken sausage & it was cooked in the pot 10 minutes later.  I love Isernio’s sausage.  Also, I keep a bottle of Chardonnay in my fridge with a good cap sealer for cooking.  It’s not the freshest, but I know in most recipes that call for a dry white wine, it is usually at most using 1 cup.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 Tb olive oil
  • 13.3 ounces Isernio’s Italian Chicken Sausage
  • 3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
  • 1 pound small red-skinned potatoes or yukon, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 5 cups thinly sliced trimmed kale leaves (about 3/4 of medium bunch)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Remove casing from sausages & crumble the sausage into the heated pot.  Sauté sausage until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken broth, sliced potatoes and white wine and bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Add kale and fennel seeds to soup. Simmer soup uncovered until potatoes and kale are very tender, about 10 minutes longer. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve immediately.  Top with Parmesan cheese.

My Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies

Ben and I just got back today from San Diego, while our girls were graciously taken care of by Ben’s folks.  The downside of our trip was recovering from the sickness that invaded our family & I still carried the first couple days in southern California.  It was great though.  I got to read without interruption, enjoy sunshine & the salty breeze from the ocean, and spend a lot of time with my wonderful, dear friend Veronica.  It was a real treat (thank you Steve & Cherie!).

These cookies are also a real treat.  They are addictive with that last note of saltiness to draw you in to take another bite.  As far as the real Little Debbie’s in the sealed bag found in the white box–not completely a fan.  Ben on the other hand is a fan.  Once when we were in the store he picked up a box of Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Cream Pies and said he wanted to buy them.  In my haste & grandiose perception of what may not be so easily attainable I say, “Oh, don’t buy that…I could make that!”  The problem being–is I have been known to say those last four words many a times, especially at the moment when (specifically) Ben wants the designated said item right then (not two weeks later).

However, there was a time when I followed through on my “I could make that,” by making these Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.  And you would do everyone in your household or work a favor by chanting, “I did make that!”  My girls were sure to speak the praises through continuous, “MMMM!”

Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies (printable recipe)

This recipe is revised from one online (one of those copycat kinds); however, as I truly don’t like using shortening if at all possible–I omitted it from the filling & used butter instead.  If you want a more firm filling like that found in the store kind, then use shortening where you see butter in the creme filling portion.  These cookies are very moist. If you want them a bit more firm, then try putting them in the fridge for a while to firm them up.

Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup rapadura sugar
1 Tb molasses
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, room temperature
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups Quick Cooking Oats

crème Filling

2 tsp very hot water
¼ tsp salt
2 cups marshmallow crème (7-ounce jar)
½ cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla

Directions for Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, molasses, vanilla & eggs for 1 minute. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda & cinnamon. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just combined. Mix in the oats.

Using a cookie scooper (2 Tb), drop onto lined baking sheet, two inches apart. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until the cookies are just starting to darken around the edges. They will still appear moist in the center. Be careful not to over bake them. Transfer cookies on hot sheet to a wire rack and let sit for 10 minutes and transfer to foil.

Filling: While your cookies are baking, prepare the filling. Use a small bowl to dissolve the salt in 2 teaspoons of very hot water. Set this solution aside to cool. Combine the marshmallow crème, ½ cup butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add the cooled salt solution to the filling mixture and combine with the mixer.

Assembling: Distribute the crème filling evenly amongst half of the cookies. Take the other cookie and put on top of the crème cookie, pressing gently to make a sandwich.

Comfort of Chicken-n-Dumplings

One of my favorite summer events was going camping with other family’s from our church family.  We would go to Indian Hills in the Laguna Mountains right outside of San Diego (one benefit of growing up in a town like Yuma, AZ).  The parents would do who knows what, while us kids would find the most willing & easily taken advantage of adult to take us to the pool.  We would also try to get some wax paper from the ladies who made the meals, because there was the monster of all slides with other puny playground equipment around.

After watching Swiss Family Robinson, I was convinced that living on a deserted island in a tree was pretty much the best place ever.  And here in the middle of Indian Hills was a tree house that emulated all I ever dreamed.  Aside from the stairs leading up to the tree house (the key was “Don’t Look Down!”), once you got to the top we would run toward our destiny–our anticipated ride down.  The ride being the largest slide I have ever encountered.  It was as if we were Fred Flintstone for a mere section in the opening credits as he slid down the Brontosaurus’ neck.  In fact, the camp specifically had painted on the wooden side enclosing the slide, “NO WAX PAPER.”  But we threw caution to the wind.  At that very moment, we embraced all that we knew to be a kid.  So what did we do?  We would sneak some up anyway.   There was a thrill knowing we were breaking the rules, in order to gain that perfect amount of speed and a little bit of vertigo.  All for round two & three and so one as we raced back to the stairs to start again.  It’s no wonder that kids are innately born with tons of energy with no awareness that their play is actually exercise.  Any rational person would quickly realize the time it took us to climb up wasn’t worth the ride down.  But we were living dangerously with our smuggled in wax paper.

It was also no wonder that when dinner time hit, we were starving like the deserted inhabitants we envisioned ourselves to be.  While the Swiss Family Robinson’s dream hit the fan around 4:30, as we whimpered to our parents about our stomachs eating themselves.  I strolled on over to the eating area around 4:00 where Gramma Naomi Quinn was preparing dinner for us.  Now, Gramma Quinn was that quintessential, older lady that you envision having rhythm in the kitchen.  She knew what paired well.  She knew how to feed an army.  And she knew how to give some of the best, big Gramma hugs a child (or adult) could imagine.

She was known by everyone as Gramma Quinn.  When our church did a baking auction to raise money for the Youth Group, her homemade cinnamon rolls were the big ticket item.  Because with those simple six words, “They were made by Gramma Quinn,” had more clout than a notary stamp.  She came up to me, as I shivered in the cool breeze, and asked, “Kamille, what would you like me to fix for dinner?”  By her asking me that question, it made me think the following:  a.) I would be picking dinner for everyone else b.) that “Gramma Quinn” only asked me & no one else and c.) knowing she made the best (and only) Chicken-n-Dumplings I ever tasted in my whole seven years of living.  “Your chicken-n-dumplings please!”, I replied.  She smiled and said, “Well, I think that would be perfect on a cool evening like this.  (and indulging me a little bit) And do you think that would hit the spot for you?”  “Oh YES!,” I said.

Me (8 yrs), Andrew (2 1/2 yrs), Willy (10 yrs)

That wouldn’t be the only time Gramma Quinn would make me chicken-n-dumplings, but this was the first where she made them to order on my request.  Whenever I think about the creamy, salty, buttery dumpling laced with the gravy-like stew sprinkled with pepper on top, I always think of her and how she nourished my body and my soul with her big pot of goodness and her big Gramma bear hug.  And so in her memory and my childhood nostalgia, make this hearty pot of chicken-n-dumplings.  I think you’ll be recalling your own childhood dinner stories as you take your first bite.

My recipe is a transfiguration of sorts, which I find very handy when you’re trying to cook from scratch with shortcuts..if you will.

Chicken-n-Dumplings (printable recipe)

Now there are so many ways in which you could use chicken for the recipe.  You could boil down a whole chicken, then use the chicken stock & the chicken for the soup.  Or you could use some chicken breasts & pre-made chicken stock.  Or you could buy a rotisserie chicken, remove the meat, then boil the carcass with the veggies to make your own stock.  You be the judge.

Ingredients:

One rotissiere chicken, meat removed & cut into bite sized chunks
6 cups water
2 carrots, big chunk slices
1 onion, cut into quarters
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Dumplings

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tb shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

Making the broth: In a dutch oven or big stock pot, add your chicken carcass, cold water, carrots, onion, celery & salt.  Bring to a boil, cover & lower heat.  Simmer for 45 minutes (Time saving tips below).  Remove chicken carcass.  Strain veggies out & reserve the carrots & celery (discard the onion).  Put a sieve over a bowl and ladle the chicken broth to separate any remaining particles.  Rinse your pot, pour the broth back in and keep heat on medium heat.  Now make those dumplings.

Make the dumplings: Combine the flour, baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is consistency of coarse meal.  Add the buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times–no more, you’re going for biscuit like.  Pat the dough down to a 1/4-inch thickness.  Set aside.

Bringing it altogether: Put the pot of broth on medium-high heat & bring it to a boil, and stir in the milk & pepper.  Correct seasonings, if you so desire.  Take the dumplings and pinch off 1 1/2-inch pieces, one or two at a time and drop into the boiling broth & reduce the heat to medium-low.  Stir from time to time to keep the dumplings from sticking.  Continue dropping in the dumplings until there are no more.  Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the cut chicken, carrots, & celery to the pot and simmer until heated through.  Remove from heat, a couple of grinds with pepper & serve.

Time Saving Tips:

  1. Use the rotisserie chicken for the chicken, but use boxed chicken broth instead of making your own.
  2. The original recipe calls for cooking up a whole chicken for 60-70 minutes to make the broth; however, I find an already roasted chicken makes for a deeper & richer broth.

When Life hands you lemons & lavender!

Go ahead and finish the cliche…make lemonade!  That’s right, nothing original, but we don’t always have to be original.  And most likely, hardly anything is truly original anyway, but doesn’t mean it’s not good.  My friend Lindsey mentioned that I needed to get on the bandwagon and create a Lavender Lemonade.  Not only that, but have a Spring kickoff of food you should be making in the kitchen this time of year.

I have been reading a book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which has inspired me even more to be a seasonal eater & cook.  It’s about her family’s year long adventure of eating only food grown locally (which would also be in season).  Now, I don’t think I would ever be able to do that, but she makes some good points with the main two being how much fossil fuel is used to transport food that you wouldn’t be able to find locally.  The other point is how much better the food actually tastes (along with health benefits) when you get it farm direct.  I would wholeheartedly agree as Ben and I were talking about the vegetables he actually likes.

His thing is he will eat vegetables because he knows they’re essential, but he doesn’t necessarily like many of them.  However, when I prodded a bit more, we came to find out that a majority of veggies he dislikes are actually eaten out of season.  Now, all that to say and lemons are definitely not a seasonal, nor local thing here in Bellingham (hence why I couldn’t abide by a 100% locally grown philosophy–plus what about coffee?).  Lavender does grow abundantly in the Pacific Northwest.  However, it’s more of a summer thing.  Okay so none of the ingredients, except water, is in season or local at this point in time.  But…I had lavender in my cupboard from a local Lavender farm, so I feel justified.

Lavender Simple Syrup

I liked this lemonade quite a bit.  It had a subtle lavender aroma & taste.  I used unrefined sugar, which in making a simple syrup you never get that clear syrup.  So other than visual appeal, the unrefined did just fine and the lavender lemonade hit the spot on a lovely Spring afternoon.

Lavender Lemonade (printable recipe)

If you want a clear simple syrup, then use white granulated sugar.  The simple syrup makes more than what the recipe calls for, but just put it in your fridge to make more later.  It will keep in your fridge for 2 weeks.

Simple Syrup

1 cup unrefined granulated sugar

1 cup culinary lavender

1 cup water

Lemonade Ingredients

12 Tb lavender simple syrup

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemons

2 1/2 cups cold water

In a mortar, gently crush about 1/3 cup of lavender.  In a small pan over medium heat, combine sugar, lavender & water.  Stirring to combine and until the sugar crystals disappear.  Don’t stir and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat.

With a sieve over a measuring cup, pour lavender simple syrup through to separate the syrup from the lavender.  Set aside.  Squeeze your lemons (I had 3) to make 3/4 cup and pour into a pitcher.  Add 10 Tb of lavender simple syrup, along with 2 cups of cold water.  Taste to see if you need more water or syrup.  I used 1/2 cup more & 2 more Tb of the syrup.

Serve by putting some ice in the pitcher & sprinkle with lavender.  Sit outside and breathe in Spring.

Rhubarb Crisp

Or in this instance, a rhubarb crisp.  Okay, so I have a little bit of an infatuation with this long, sometimes slender, sometimes chunky, red/speckled red & green/green vegetable.  Yes, rhubarb is actually classified as a vegetable, but heaven’s to Betsy–whatever Pioneer woman made use of this manna–I am forever grateful.  While Ben and I were dating, we would be walking in some new neighborhood of Bellingham & I would stop in my tracks.  Ben thinking I found something remarkable or writhing in pain, because of the deep sigh & deer in head lights stare.  What? What? He’d ask.  Then, I would point.

rhubarb leaves

I had a gift of spotting those huge, elephant like leaves protruding from behind a high backyard fence at least 100 meters away.  In fact, as I sat gazing at some (meanwhile, Ben was probably thinking how silly it was) rhubarb, the owner of the house came out back and said hello.  But also kind of wondered what I was looking at.  I said I was admiring his rhubarb and then he offered me to take some.  I really wanted to, but I felt like that was crossing a line.

rhubarb stalks

Rhubarb to me says Springtime.  The quintessential springtime pie is a Strawberry-Rhubarb (I’ll be saving that recipe for a bit later).  The house I lived in the year I was engaged had a big window looking out to the neighbors yard.  I had been admiring their rhubarb plant in early April (I even inspected it for it’s bounty).  When it hit May, the time at which the stalks were ready for harvesting, I walked to the neighbor’s door to ask them if they were going to use their rhubarb (that line I was fine crossing–they were college students who most likely didn’t have a clue as to a rhubarb plant being there).  My prediction was correct and they didn’t know anything about it and gave me the green light.

Well, I wasn’t quite ready for pulling off the stalks as I needed some strawberries.  A few days later, in the morning, I got awoken by the sound of a tractor outside my window.  When I came into the kitchen, I absolutely freaked out.  There was a mini bulldozer/tractor (I have girls, not boys) something or other outside my window.  It was pulling up all of the ground along the side of the house and I feared for the safety of my rhubarb.  They were plowing right next to my love and I didn’t know if they were alright.  There was only one thing to do.  I went outside in my pajamas to stop the man on the John Deere to see what he was doing and if he was aware of my bounty awaiting its fate I had planned out?  And there, like a diamond in the rough lay my rhubarb–right next to plowed up ground.  I didn’t hesitate and pulled them up right there on the spot, brought them into the safety of my home.  Where they intoxicated me with their tangy, red smell as I cut them into slices and mixed them up with sliced strawberries.  We enjoyed our first Strawberry-Rhubarb pie of the season that night.

And last night we had our Japanese Community friends over.  Their names are Ayumi & Maho and I taught them how to make spaghetti from scratch & introduced them to what will hopefully not be their last taste of rhubarb.  I found rhubarb at the Farmer’s Market yesterday, but strawberries are not quite in season.  So, we made do & made a crisp, which to me is just as satisfying without all the primping that comes from a pie.  Here’s to kicking off Spring!

Rhubarb Crisp (printable recipe)

I made this on the fly, because crisps are so forgiving & easy.  It’s a humble cousin to a rhubarb pie, but I find it just as good.  It reminds me of my favorite summer breakfast of plain yogurt, fresh fruit & granola, except in dessert form.  And if you don’t have a food processor for the crisp, then use a pastry cutter, or a fork, or best of all–your hands.

Rhubarb Filling

4-5 cups sliced rhubarb (around 6 rhubarb)
1 cup unrefined sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Crisp Crust

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachio
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tb unsalted butter, cold cut into 1/4 inch squares
pinch of salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 350.  Clean rhubarb stalks & slice into roughly 1/4-1/2 inch slices.  Put sliced rhubarb into a medium bowl, along with 1 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, orange & lemon zest.  Dive in with your hands and mix it all together.  Dump this into an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish.  Set aside.

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, pistachios, & salt into a bowl of a food processor.  Mix to combine (3 seconds).  Put in the butter & pulse 7-9 times.  Some of the butter will most likely still be in whole form.  Dump the contents into a large bowl.  Then, use your hands & fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.  Don’t be bashful, imagine you’re a kid playing with play dough.  At the end, your crisp part will look comparable to wet sand.  Spread the mixture atop the rhubarb mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Okay, so I didn’t time it unfortunately.  But what you’re looking for is a golden crust, the smell of rhubarb-spiced goodness & if you can pierce a fork through the rhubarb–it’s good to go.  You can let it cool for a bit (10-15 minutes), or serve it up right away.  No judgment.  Top with some vanilla ice cream as any crisp always tastes better with it.  And there you have a slice of Spring.

Lemons for Lindsey

Coconut Cream Cheese Filling

My good friend Lindsey’s birthday was last weekend and I know my practical gifts of love made in my kitchen are always a sure hit with people, especially Lindsey who never hesitates to sing my culinary praises.  In fact, if I’m feeling a bit blue, I can ask Lindsey what she liked about my latest creation & by the end—I’m encouraged.  Ya know, sometimes it doesn’t take much.

When I asked Lindsey what her favorite type of flavors or desserts were she said, “Lemon, not pie or cake–not so much!”  Well, I understood what she was talking about.  Because I really like lemon desserts, but lemon meringue & a lemon cake (or should I say lemon filling) doesn’t sit well with me.  I do like lemon curd though & lemon tart; however, the meringue atop a lemon pie is so sad most of the time.  And the lemon filling in cakes is typically poorly done.  I knew what she needed was lemon sandwich cookies, but all the recipes you would come across for lemon sandwiches are the rolled out kind and this tired mama wasn’t feelin’ it after putting my girls down for bed & cleaning up the chaotic remains.

So after perusing my cookbooks I came across this Vanilla Sugar Cookie and knew it could easily be adapted to suit that lemon hankering I was seeking.  I thought I would make two different kinds of frosting to spice things up a bit.  And since I wasn’t about to go and buy more cream cheese than what my fridge was holding, I did what any inventive baker would do–split it in half & say a blessing to see if the frosting would multiply like the loaves & fish.  Some had lemon & some had coconut filling.  And I would say both hit a great spot with just the right amount of lemon in the cookie.  Ben even said, “These are pretty good for a lemon cookie, because I don’t like lemon cookies.”  And he ate more than one.

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

Lemon Sandwich Cookies with Coconut & Lemon Filling (printable recipe)

I was inspired by the Vanilla Sugar Cookie in The Good Cookie Cookbook.  I wanted to make a lemon cookie and used two different fillings.  One is a lemon filling, while the other is coconut filling.  You choose what you like best..or do both!

Cookie Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
zest from one lemon (about 2 Tb)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ tsp lemon essence
squeezed juice of one half lemon
Coarse sugar (turbinado) for sprinkling

Coconut Filling Ingredients & Lemon Filling Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup sweetened coconut
½ to 1 tsp lemon essence

Directions for cookies: Preheat the oven to 375.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silipat.

Put the granulated sugar into a bowl and add the lemon zest to the sugar.  Using your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar, in order to get as much of the oil out of the zest as possible.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, & salt and set aside.

In a mixer bowl, add the butter and beat on medium speed for about 1 minute.  Add powdered sugar & the lemon zest sugar to the butter, beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, till the mixture is light & fluffy.  Turn off the mixer and add one egg at a time, briefly beating at low speed just until the egg is combined.  Add lemon essence & lemon juice and mix for about 10 seconds.  With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients until it’s all combined.

Put about ½ cup of coarse sugar in a bowl, then take the other half of the lemon and do one light squeeze onto the sugar.  It will get the sugar a bit wet, but not drenching it.  Have your hands lightly wet, put one tablespoon of dough in your hand and roll it to make a ball.  Continue doing this placing the rolled dough 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet.  Either roll the balls around in the lemon turbinado sugar or sprinkle the lemon turbinado sugar on top.  Lightly press down on each ball, so you’re making them into a circle (not too much & not too little either).  Bake for 9-11 minutes.

Put on a cooling rack and let them cool for about 5 minutes.  Remove and put on aluminum paper.  Meanwhile, make the frosting.

Directions for Frosting: Beat the butter in your stand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute.  It should be light & fluffy.  Now add the cream cheese in halved pieces and beat for 2 to 3 minutes, still on medium speed.  Turn mixer down to low and slowly add powdered sugar.  Once the powdered sugar has been fully incorporated, then turn up the speed to medium and beat for an additional 30 seconds.

Get out a medium bowl and scoop out 1/3 of the frosting.  Add ½ tsp of lemon essence to the bowl and mix thoroughly.  Set aside and there is your lemon frosting.

Add the 1 cup sweetened coconut & 1 tsp coconut extract, mix thoroughly and there is your coconut frosting.

Assembling: You might have assorted sizes, so match up the ones most similar and begin frosting by putting about 1 tablespoon of frosting on each cookie smoothing it out and put another cookie on top.  Then eat one or two to sample, so you can attest to their goodness to your family & friends.

Mrs. Carrillo’s Spanish Rice

I’ve spoken of my adopted family the Carrillo before & again.  My love for genuine Mexican food is not something I can keep hidden.  In fact, just the other night I was having dinner at a friend’s house and someone asked where I grew up.  My answer going back to Yuma, Az, which inevitably leads to my love of Mexican food.  I was asked what type of Mexican food stood out as the best back in my hometown.  And it always, always goes back to the Carrillo’s home.

Mrs. Carrillo would make fresh flour tortillas on the comal.  Mr. Carrillo would eat jalapenos straight from the jar while watching soccer, while I would stare in amazement.  I learned by eating a jalapeno straight from the jar that you need to drink milk or pour some salt on your tongue to get that burning feeling away (I wanted to show everyone I too could be strong enough, but I only got so far as let it touch my tongue while running to the kitchen–while Mr. Carrillo would simply sweat from the heat).  I learned that not all Mexicans like menudo and Mrs. Carrillo would make a pre-cow tongue batch for Veronica.  Nopales con carne became my all time favorite dish (cactus with meat).  And that the only way you would get a recipe from Mrs. Carrillo was to watch her at her art.

She didn’t have these recipes on paper filed neatly away.  They instinctively ran through her person.  Still to this day, the only recipe Veronica has from her mom is her flour tortillas (which I don’t–umm, I really need that if you’re reading Mrs. Carrillo).  However, I did get the nopales con carne recipe, simply by watching her in the kitchen–her talking half in English and the other half in Spanish (Mrs. Carrillo a firm believer that I could really understand a lot more Spanish than I let on–but she didn’t let it get in the way).  I would even ask Veronica if she had any of her mom’s recipes, to which she would say, “I always ask her and she always gets sidetracked.”

So, I decided one day back in my college days that I needed a genuine Spanish rice recipe to make for dinner.  I called up Mrs. Carrillo & got it from her.  No sidetracking that I saw.  I think it still makes Veronica jealous (in that good sort of way) that I have one up’d her in the recipe department.  And now I pass it on to you.  Very simple, very good, and pure comfort.

Mrs. Carrillo’s Spanish Rice (printable recipe)

I changed this up a bit, but not much.  I will put her recipe as is and in parenthesis put my changes.

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice (I used long grain)

1 big clove of garlic, or 2 smaller ones, crushed

2-4 Tb oil (I used canola, I wouldn’t use olive oil)

1-14 oz can tomato sauce

2 chicken bouillon cubes (I used 4 cups homemade chicken broth, unsalted)

4 cups water

1/2 of a small white onion, cut into four small pieces.

Directions:

Put rice in a bowl and add enough water to cover it.  Stir it around with your fingers to clean & rinse the rise.  Drain the water and set aside.

In a heavy bottom pot (8 qt) over medium heat, add about 2 Tb oil and add the crushed garlic.  Stirring constantly to avoid browning it.  Add more oil if the pot is getting dry.  Cook garlic for about one minute.  Add the rinsed rice to the pot.  Stirring constantly, adding more oil if need be.  You want to toast the rice, cooking it till it’s a nice golden to medium brown color (not all of it will get toasted, it’s more of an overall appearance).  This will take around 8-12 minutes.

Slowly add in the tomato sauce, being very careful, because the liquid will splatter.  Add either the chicken bouillon cubes & 4 cups water, or 4 cups chicken broth.  Stir completely to get all the rice covered.  Add the 4 halves of onion.  Allow the mixture to reach a boil.  Once it boils, turn the heat to low & cover.  Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes.  You want to check on it to see how much of the liquid it has absorbed.  You’ll know it’s done when there’s still a little liquid resonating on the sides of the pot, but when you stir it around it disappears.

Remove from the heat, season with salt to taste if you used unsalted chicken broth (no need with chicken bouillon).