Ode to Summer

I loved summer when I was growing up.  Looking forward to helping my grandparents harvest all the vegetables we had planted in the spring, then, helping my Mom with canning tomatoes, string beans, relishes, chutneys, etc., and freezing the last of the blueberries knowing we'd continue to enjoy this harvest through the fall and winter.   I remember once when Erin and Kelly were helping in the garden to pick the last of the tomatoes and they came across a rotten tomato.  They decided any of the "past" tomatoes they found would be fun to toss at each other.  With each splat, the giggles became louder, especially when they hit me on the leg with one.  It may not have been the most productive harvest, but it was the most fun!

I thought about these last blueberries I had gotten at the farmer's market and decided to do a muffin, unique in flavor and giving me that final ode to summer as they did with baking with my Mom before autumn is truly upon us.

Finally, in between the rainy, overcast weather, wandering around my garden, I noticed the changes that have occurred just in the past week.  My beautiful hydrangeas have "aged" and started to dry on the bushes, but it's this combination of colors that today, I find so appealing.   I decided to do some pruning and use these blossoms to create a wreath to enjoy through the fall, just like I would do with preserving the fruits and vegetables with Mom.

Blueberry~Maple Muffins
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup Maple Flav-R-Bites

Preheat oven 375F-degrees.  Brush the Popover pan cups with melted butter and set aside.
In a large bowl, measure your flours, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir to combine.  Add the Maple Flav-R-Bites and dried blueberries and stir well.  In a 2-cup glass measure, add the milk and eggs, and vanilla, then whisk to combine.  Make a "well" in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients, including the melted butter.  Fold and stir to combine.  Finally, add the fresh blueberries to the batter.  

Scoop the batter into the prepared popover pan. 

Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown.  Cool 15 minutes in the pan before turning out to cool completely.  Using this popover pan, it made 10 large muffins.  The addition of the maple Flav-R-Bites is optional, but I can tell you, these taste like you're eating blueberry pancakes!


I had a surprising package from a friend in the UK a few weeks ago.  So, when the muffin was ready, I steeped some English Tea and imagined I was expecting Denise to join me for this last of the summer berries.  

Close your eyes...it's unbelievable what the mind can imagine.  Enjoy!  






 

...And the winner for August's Give-Away

Congratulations to Allison at Novice Life for winning this apron from August's Give-Away.  Thank you All for posting; I love the comments and cherish the friendships that this experience brings, especially the love of sharing with all of you. xoxo

Another Birthday...

Ari is cheering for his Grandpa's birthday today!  It's been a busy few weeks with all the birthdays and this is just one more in the string of family special days that call for baking.

Besides his love for baseball, which has trickled down to Ari, vanilla, non-fat, Lattes are his drink of choice since moving to the Seattle area;)  I thought long and hard how I could replicate that in a cupcake and while driving to the art store to order some mats, it came to me.

I "pumped up" the taste in my vanilla cupcake by adding a soaking of vanilla syrup and then, I made a whipped coffee buttercream.  Since I don't drink coffee (yes, I know I live in Seattle, LOL) I can only go by my husband's reaction..."Best Cupcake I've Ever Had!"

Vanilla Latte Cupcakes

Drunken Irish Cupcakes
Prepared them as directed.  Take them out of the oven and while warm, I poked some holes in the top with a long skewer. then I squirted some Torani Vanilla Syrup on them.  (Torani Vanilla Syrup can be found in the coffee aisle of your grocery store.)  For convenience, I poured the syrup in a plastic squirt bottle.

Let them cool completely.  Start the buttercream.

Coffee Buttercream:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
5 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. espresso powder
1 tsp. coffee flavor

In the KitchenAid, using the whisk attachment, whip the butter until fluffy, add three cups of confectioners' sugar and the extract, espresso powder, and coffee flavor and beat to combine.  In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream, using a hand-held mixer, until stiff.  "Be careful," like my mother  would say, "don't beat it until you have butter!"

Fold  into the confectioners' sugar/butter mixture.  Add the remaining 2 cups of confectioners' sugar and whisk until combined.  Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and frost the cupcakes.  Top the cupcakes with a chocolate covered coffee bean.  Enjoy!

Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup and Cornbread with a Honey/Butter Glaze

It's a gray, rainy evening in the Pacific Northwest and soup just seem the right choice for dinner tonight; actually, I could eat soup every night:)  Even when I was in 7th grade on a school trip to Washington, D.C. visiting Congress and the Smithsonian, I had bean soup.  "Senate Bean Soup" was my  favorite soup when I was growing up and my mother would use a big ham hock and white navy beans to cook a large pot of soup that would feed our big family at least a couple of nights.  In fact, the joke around our house was that this soup seemed to "grow." LOL

Another good reason for soup is that this soup costs about $5.00 to make!  That's a great deal in this economy; then, add this moist, sweet cornbread and a salad and you have a complete meal.

Tuscan Bean & Kale Soup

3 T Olive Oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 cans (15 oz) Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans)
1 bunch of Kale
6 cups vegetable stock (or you can use 3 Vegetable bouillon cubes and 6 cups of water)
2 T Sundried Tomato Paste
1 tsp. dried Sage, crushed
2 T. cornmeal
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt & Pepper to taste

Use a 6 quart sauce pan and heat the olive oil on medium heat for several minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes.  Let this sit for 30 minutes so flavors are enhanced.

(I did this step while I was mixing up the Banana Pumpkin Bread.)


Return the garlic/red pepper flake oil to the stove.  Next, drain and rinse three cans of cannellini beans, then, add to the saucepan, stirring to incorporate.  Add the vegetable broth (or water and bouillon cubes) and stir again.  Add the sundried tomato paste and sage, stir well and bring to a boil.  Turn down heat to low and cover.  Cook 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, remove the spines of the kale, then, rinse well.

Chop into bite size pieces.

Use an emulsion blender to puree the bean mixture.  (If you don't have an emulsion blender, puree, in small batches, in a blender).

Add the kale and cover once again to cook thoroughly--about 15 minutes.  Remove lid and add the 4th can of cannellini beans and heat for another 5-7 minutes.  Finally, to thicken the soup, mix the 2 tablespoons of cornmeal with the juice of half of a lemon.  To make a thinner paste, add a few tablespoons of the soup broth.  Add this cornmeal paste to the soup and cook another 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.


Cornbread with a Honey/Butter Glaze
 4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
6 T unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 T butter for the skillet
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cake flour
2 T baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1-2 T fresh chives, chopped (optional)


Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Place a 12-inch iron skillet in the oven to heat.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the sugars and whisk to combine, then, add the melted butter and oil and whisk again.  Add the flours, baking powder, salt and chives, alternately with the buttermilk.  Stir well to combine completely.  Meanwhile, add the 4 tablespoons of butter to the hot skillet.  Return to the oven and heat until melted.

Pour the cornbread mixture into the hot/buttered skillet.

Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.  While the cornbread is baking, make the glaze.


Honey/Butter Glaze
4 T unsalted butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water


Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan.  After the butter melts, stir well and keep mixture on low.


After 25 minutes of baking, open the oven and pull the rack out with the skillet.  Poke several holes in the top of the cornbread and slowly pour the honey/butter over top.  Return to the oven and bake an additional 5-7 minutes.  The top of the cornbread should be lightly browned and shimmering with the glaze.

Let cool 15 minutes, then cut into wedges.

The cornbread is moist and sweet, but more importantly, it goes so well with a great soup or even chili.
Make this meal an autumn special for your family.  Enjoy!

Autumn Banana~Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries & Walnuts

My husband loves bananas on his cereal, but not everyday, and I'm always finding myself with one, two or like today, three bananas that I just can't let go to waste.  I know, I could make a smoothie and say, "be done with it" or freeze them for later use, but today is rainy and temperatures aren't suppose to reach much above the upper 60s, so baking is my choice.

I love experimenting with ingredients and today I thought about how I could make this more fitting to the season [that's fast approaching:)] and have decided to incorporate my two favorite symbols of autumn--pumpkins and cranberries.

Mom made lots of banana bread when I was growing up, but her recipe, which I cherish, was the standard with bananas and walnuts.  Kelly loved to bake banana bread to give as gifts and stock her freezer for later treats.  One of the first things I baked with Ari was banana bread (and muffins) when I was there in May to distract him from all the sadness.  I still remember his face when he bit into his first baking creations and wished I had a camera to capture that look of pure enjoyment!

Wrapped in beautiful cellophane for gifts or just to have with your morning coffee or tea, this autumnal version is sure to be a hit with your family.

Banana~Pumpkin Bread with  Cranberries & Walnuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup golden brown sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tsp. Banana flavoring
3 medium bananas, peeled & mashed
1 1/2 cups (15 oz can) pumpkin (not pie filling)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, toasted and broken into pieces
 2 - 5" x 9" loaf pans, sprayed with a non-stick baking spray
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees. Toast walnuts for 8 minutes and set aside.
In the KitchenAid, using a paddle attachment, beat butter, oil and sugars together.  Add eggs and combine.  Add the bananas and canned pumpkin and beat to combine. 

Make sure the bananas do have some spots on them, otherwise wait to make this bread

Don't worry, the mixture will look curdled!  Remove bowl from the mixer and stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir, just to combine.  Fold in the cranberries and walnuts.  Pour into the prepared loaf pans.

Bake at 350F-degrees for 30 minutes, then, lower the temperature to 325F-degrees and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan about 15 minutes.  Turn out to cool completely before slicing.

 Your temperatures may not be dropping like ours, but this is a yummy bread that tastes good on any night and it makes a wonderful gift to give.  Also, with two loaves you could easily wrap up one and freeze it for a cold morning .  Enjoy!
   

Back to School Brownie~Peanut Butter Bars

Summer hasn't even ended, but in some parts of the country, kids have already started back to school. 

 Ari has his backpack ready!

However, for the majority of the kids, the day after Labor Day is the usual.  Our daughters, Erin and Kelly, looked forward to this day; new books, new supplies, and their uniform pressed and laying out.  I loved planning a special treat to put in their lunch box for the first day, adding a little note to "have a good day!"

My mother baked special treats too.  Cookies and brownies, homemade, always made looking forward to lunch that much more enjoyable.  I remember sharing these treats with my best friends while talking about our new teacher(s) and what our favorite subjects were. 

So, whether your children are off to school or are home schooled, these brownie treats are sure to be a hit for the start of a new year of learning.

Brownie~Peanut Butter Bars
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
5 oz. chocolate, bittersweet or semi-sweet, chopped
1/3 cup cocoa
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 T Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter (homemade or bought)

Prepare either a  12" x 17" sheet pan or a 9" x 13" baking pan by brushing with melted butters.  Add a sheet of parchment paper, fitted to the pan, and brush again with melted butter.
In a double boiler, add the chocolate, cocoa and butter.

Melt completely.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Meanwhile in the KitchenAid, using the whisk attachment, beat eggs until thick and lemony.

Add the sugar while the mixer is running and incorporate completely.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture and beat thoroughly.  While the mixer is running, add the vanilla.  Finally add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir into the mixture.  Pour and spread into prepared pan.  (I used the 12 x 17 sheet pan to speed up the baking time, but for a "thicker" brownie bar, use the 9 x 13 pan)

Add dollops of peanut butter and use a fork to "marble" it through the brownie mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven.  For the 12" x 17" sheet pan--12-14 minutes;  For the 9" x 13" baking pan--20-22 minutes.  Let cool completely, then cut into bars.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin, Honey, Peanut Brittle...Oh My!

 
My husband, Chuck and his colleagues have a meeting tomorrow and I was asked to bake something:)  I'd have to be sick to turn down the chance to bake, so happily the wheels of creativity started to churn.  I had just finished a SKYPE call with our grandson, Ari, and I was feeling happy thinking about for his first birthday I made a pumpkin cupcake that he just devoured!

Ari, like his mama, Kelly loves pumpkin! 

I decided to start with that pumpkin cupcake, but kicked up the flavor with some ginger chips, then, topped it with a honey butter cream and as a final piece de resistance, homemade peanut brittle garnish.  I guess I was still in an autumn mood choosing pumpkin and maybe, like the retail stores I'm pushing the season, but like my mother would say, "Ah Pshaw! Pumpkin is good for you anytime!!"

Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes with Honey Butter Cream
  & Homemade Peanut Brittle garnish

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups golden brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
1-15oz can of Pumpkin (not pie filling)-approx. 1 1/2 cups
4 cups Cake Flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup Cake Enhancer (optional, but helps make a tender, light cake)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cardamon
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup ginger chips


Preheat oven 350F-degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper cups.
In a KitchenAid, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy.  Add the brown sugar and beat for 3-5 minutes until thoroughly combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the cake enhancer (if using) and beat well.  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Add alternately with the buttermilk and beat well until combined.  Stir in the ginger chips.

Use a scoop to place batter into the paper-lined tins.  This recipe makes 24 large cupcakes.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until done.  Rotating the pans helps to uniformly bake the cupcakes.
Let cool completely.  Meanwhile, make the peanut brittle.


Peanut Brittle:

This recipe was given to me by my sister Barbara over 20 years ago.  I make it every Halloween and package it to give as gifts.  It's done in the microwave, so there's no need for excuses about watching the candy thermometer for 10 minutes!

1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 cup dry roasted, salted Peanuts
1 T butter
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Baking Soda


Butter a baking sheet and set aside.
In a 1 1/2 quart glass casserole, stir together sugar and Karo syrup.  Microwave on high 3 min. 30 sec.

Stir in the peanuts and microwave another 2 min. 30 sec.

Add the butter and vanilla to the hot syrup, blending well.  Microwave 45 seconds.  Peanuts will be lightly browned and syrup, very hot.

Finally, add the baking soda and gently stir until light and foamy.  Quickly pour mixture onto the lightly buttered cookie sheet.  Let cool 30 minutes to 1 hour.  When cool, break into small pieces and store in an airtight container.

Honey Butter Cream:

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 cups confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup honey
1 T Vanilla Extract


In the KitchenAid, using the whisk attachment, beat butter until fluffy.  Add the honey and beat well to combine.  Add half of the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat well.  Gradually add the last 3 cups of confectioners' sugar and whisk for 1-2 minutes to combine thoroughly.


Fill a pastry bag with a large plain or fluted tip.  Frost the cupcakes and add the peanut brittle garnish.

These cupcakes will taste good anytime, but great at Halloween.  Enjoy!

  

Apple of My Eye Pound Cake

 
The air is crisp, it's overcast with the threat of rain, and some leaves have started to fall...Autumn is just around the corner.

Also, the early apples are showing up at the Farmer's Markets and chrysanthemums are in the nursery, which here in Washington, is a sure sign!

 

So, my baking today reflected, not only the weather, but the harvesting of apples to inspire a cake to warm your heart, as well as your belly.  I started with my mother's brown sugar pound cake and made some changes.   First, I added an apple filling, with a crisp, tart apple and my favorite spices then, I topped off the finished cake with a rich caramel sauce.  There's nothing like it on an autumn evening and even if your weather hasn't turned, like ours has, keep this one in mind for a special dessert to welcome your first signs of fall.

Apple of My Eye Pound Cake with Caramel Sauce
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
5 large eggs
1 tsp. apple flavoring
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 cup pecans, chopped (optional, but really good)


Apple Filling:
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples
2 T Boiled Cider
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamon
1/2 tsp. freshly, grated nutmeg


Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan with a non-stick flour/oil spray.
In a medium bowl, combine all the filling ingredients and set aside.

In the KitchenAid, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy.  Add the sugars and beat for 3-5 minutes to combine completely.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the flavorings.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then, alternately add these dry ingredients with the milk to the butter mixture.  Beat well to combine.  Stir in the pecans, if using.


Spoon half of the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.  Carefully place the apple mixture on top, keeping the apples away from the sides of the pan.

Spoon the remaining batter on top of the apples.  

Place into the preheated oven and bake 65-75 minutes or until the top of the cake springs bake when you touch it with your fingers.  Remove from the oven and cool in the pan at least 15 minutes.  Invert pan onto a serving plate and cool completely.  Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce.

The caramel sauce I made today is a recipe from King Arthur Flour


Caramel Sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 T cold water
6 T butter, melted
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. Vanilla or Vanilla/Butternut, or 1/4 tsp. Butter-Rum or Butterscotch flavor, or 1 T Rum


In a 2-quart saucepan, mix the sugar and water and stir to combine.  Place on medium/high heat and bring to a boil--resist stirring.  When it comes to a boil, lower heat to medium and watch the syrup carefully, shaking or swirling the pan to keep the syrup moving.  
After a couple of minutes, the syrup will begin to darken. 

When it reaches a rich amber color, remove it from the heat and stir in the melted butter.  Once the butter has been absorbed, add the heavy cream and your choice of flavoring.  Cool to room temperature.  Store in the refrigerator, reheat in the microwave before serving.  Enjoy!