Fairy Cakes

In the UK (and other places with such an influence, like South Africa) cupcakes are lovingly referred to as "fairy cakes". A much better name than calling cookies "biscuits". Anyway, for Madeline's 2nd birthday I was inspired to find an "official" fairy cake recipe. This gloriously simple, but delicious one lives up to the name—light, delicious and magical. I, of course, messed with the recipe a little adding coconut extract and lime zest. And of course orange icing and blueberries for M. Happy 2nd to our little Wood pixie!

Brickles Fairy Cakes

1 cube butter (at room temp)
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs (at room temp)
1/2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
pinch salt
lime zest from one lime
1/4 t coconut extract

Icing
1 c sifted Powdered
Juice of a lime
orange food coloring

Blueberries to decorate

Preheat oven to 375F. Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy in Kitchenaid. Add eggs one at a time, then extract and zest, and beat on high until blended. Gently fold the flour into the butter mixture until combined. Scoop batter into 7 or 8 standard-sized fairy cakes. Bake for 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack while preparing the icing. Add drops of coloring to the lime juice, then slowly add juice to sugar until spreadable but still fairly stiff. Drop on each cake and let spread out. Top with berries, and enjoy with a wee person...or at least someone with a twinkle in their eye...

I Want More Sushi

And, sometimes Katrina doesn't cook. With the heat lately, we've been doing a lot of salads, bbq, etc. and often having "Pickies" for lunch. My mom served pickies a lot when I was a kid—almost like Bento boxes—a bunch of different little choices for your meal. We were allowed to use toothpicks as utensils...and pick what we wanted, hence the title of the meal. Works great for kids because they get to choose what they eat...from a variety of things that you want them to have. I'm usually surprised by what M chooses, and she always eats really well this way. Plus, I usually clean up a lot of the little dabs of things left in the fridge.

With cut-up fruit and veggies from the organic box, hummus and pitas from our favorite little Greek place, tidbits from the bbq, and nibbles from the deli, we're set. M loves the Milano salami from the deli and the brown rice California Roll too. Pair that with homemade lemonade and fresh (whole) raspberries popsicles for dessert. Summer's pretty tasty!

Some Like It Cold

I like cold-brewed coffee. I've been told that something like 90% of the caffeine (and all the good flavor) is retained, while only about 15% of the usual acid is present. And, fewer oils. So, it's easier on your stomach, and I think it tastes better—more like coffee smells. It strongly concentrates the coffee flavor of coffee, makes the coffee up to twice as strong, but the overall brew has far less acidity and no "burnt" taste.

It does take more time to brew without the heat, although the resulting brew lasts up to two weeks in the fridge. Mine never lasts that long.

I use my French press to make my cold brew since you steep the coffee in room-temp water and then need to strain the grounds off later:

Basically, the ratio is 4:1 water to coffee. Measure a 1/2 cup of coffee into the brewing container. Add about 2 cups of room-temperature water. Stir the mixture up. Cover the container and let it sit a minimum of 4 hours or ideally, overnight. It can sit up to about 12 hours, but less time works too—it'll just be slightly less concentrated. Strain (French press comes in handy here) and pour into a jar for storage in the fridge.

Mix your cold-brew concentrate with water or milk to taste. It makes great iced coffee, is also good nuked by the cup, and is equally good leaded or unleaded. Especially helpful if you only have one coffee drinker in your household.

Saturday Morning Puff Pancake

This recipe is so great. Easy, tasty and helps season your cast iron pans! I vary the recipe all the time—add a little sugar, pumpkin pie spice or Chinese Five Spice... nutmeg, vanilla, almond—you get the picture. Delicious topped with fresh fruit, nuts, cream, yogurt or made savory with cheese and ham, etc.

Saturday Morning Puff Pancake
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
dash of salt
2 Tbsp. butter

Heat the oven to 450F and put a large cast-iron skillet in to heat. In a bowl, beat the eggs, flour, milk, and salt together. It's important to mix all the ingredients together at once, otherwise your pancakewon't puff. The more air you beat into the batter, the higher it will rise in the oven.

When the oven is hot, toss the butter into the hot skillet and let it melt. Pour the batter into the skillet and return it to the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed and golden. Cut it in half and serve immediately with warm maple syrup, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

Fast Slow Food

Pulled pork sandwiches are a favorite of Joel's. Actually, I love them too, but they take awhile. Enter the crock pot. I forget to use my crock pot because I'm more of a see-what's-in-the-fridge-and-make-up-something-for-dinner gal. Either that or I plan something fairly elaborate and new. But, the crock pot is one of those great tools that does work for you while you do more interesting things. Other tools I love for this are the dishwasher, wash machine and dryer, microwave, self-cleaning oven, etc. If I had something that could mop for me that would be amazing. Ooh, or a self-cleaning toilet. Now, that would rock!

So, in the spirit of ease (and because I forgot to pick up a couple ingredients in the original recipe, which basically made homemade bbq sauce) here's my new Pulled Pork recipe (modified greatly from Cooking Light):

2 lbs. pork sirloin roast (cut into three slabs)
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. ground chipotle chili (Penzey's)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup Guinness barbeque sauce (had it in the fridge)
A couple squeezes of ketchup
1/2 Tbs. cumin
1/2 Tbs. dry mustard powder
1 clove crushed garlic
Several glugs of malt vinegar
Several glugs of Worchestershire
3 T. molasses

Coat the pork in the chili and sugar. Add all other ingredients to the crock pot, stir and add the pork on top. Cook on high setting for about an hour, then on low for 7 hours. When done, shred pork with two forks and stir into the sauce in pot. Pile on good crusty rolls with your favorite toppings (Sliced red onion, pickled peppers, etc.)

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

We make this often in our ice cream freezer. It's delicious, really easy, and great for lactose-intolerant folks! I've always used "light" coconut milk and had great results. I also save the toasted coconut for garnish and serve with fresh fruit. Pretty good drizzled with toasted almonds and dark chocolate syrup too!

3 cans unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup superfine sugar or granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (Get real extract at Uwajimaya-smells like toasted coconut-product of Thailand. Imitation smells like Hawaiin Tropics suntan oil...not what you want in ice cream!)
1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, optional
1/4 cup toasted coconut, optional

Combine the coconut milk and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the extract and the coconut flakes (optional - I usually leave out). Chill in the freezer, stirring occasionally until hardened, or prepare in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Magical Corn Moussaka

I love this recipe. Joel's mom makes it and it's glorious. I call it magical because it's so versatile, comforting and delicious. Good when you're feeling crummy, good when you're feeling great, it's fast, tasty, packed full of protein and a little starchy veg. Excellent comfort food. (hmm...the date I wrote on my recipe card says June 1995 so I at least had the restraint to wait until we were married to raid the family recipes...)

Whip up a pan. Heck, whip up two and freeze one for later (heat longer if frozen):

1 (17 oz) can corn (drained)
1 1/2 pnds hamburger
1 Tbs. flour
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. grated Paremesan cheese
1 c. shredded mozzarela

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Spread corn in 8x8 pan. Brown hamburger and drain. Add flour, cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings, then pour over corn. Mix eggs and cottage cheese together and pour over meat mixture. Top with parmesan and mozzarela. Bake about 25 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbling.

Apple Of My Eye

I love this apple bread. Jen gave me a small loaf of it last winter and it was the one thing that I had a really hard time resisting while on the GDM diabetic diet. I made muffins with the recipe and had to give most of it away. It's pretty quick and very tasty. Moist, dense and apple-icious, and a great way to use our apples from the tree in the backyard! Try it: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Bread/Detail.aspx.

Mom's Best Peanut Butter Cookies

Hmmm...maybe I should call this blog "Katrina Bakes" — so far there are a lot of cookie and treat recipes...

These cookies are my mom's recipe. The peanut butter cookies I remember as a kid. They are fabulous. Perfect texture, flavor, and excellent with a tall glass of milk.

I actually don't make these very often because they're too tasty to resist. I do bake them 2-4 minutes less than mom so they are crisp outside and soft in the center, rather than dunkers, but if you like them more firm for dunking, you can bake them 10-12 like Mom's recipe. I don't bake longer than 8 minutes.



1 cube butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butters and sugars, add egg and mix. Sift all the dry stuff through a sieve into bowl and mix. Scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with a 1-inch scoop and flatten with the tines of a fork in a crisscross pattern. Bake at 375-degrees F for 7 minutes (8-minutes max). Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

From The Heart

My most treasured recipes are both delicious and tied to wonderful memories. I love to cook excellent food, and more than that, I love to cook for the people I love. I got to do that this weekend in Jamie's glorious kitchen (convection oven, gas stovetop...ah...) — here are three of the recipes we enjoyed:

BBQ Baked Lentils
My first year at college, Jamie and I were roommates and we tried our hand at being vegetarians. Many delicious (omnivorous) years later, this recipe is still one of our favorites:

Bring to boil (in about 4 quarts water) 2 1/3 cups lentils, then add 2 tsp. salt. Simmer for 30 mins, drain, then mix into a large, covered casserole dish with the following:

15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 Tbs. minced onion
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. molasses
1 Tbs. Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbs. vinegar
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)

Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 mins. Makes 8 generous servings.

Katrina's Crepes
This is an adapted Swedish Pancake batter recipe. Along with John's glorious biscuits and gravy, these crepes are a late breakfast favorite. This is a double batch — they freeze beautifully.

3 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. vanilla paste (or extract)
6 eggs
4 c. milk
2 T melted butter

Combine the dry, mix in the wet. Cook in medium-hot skillets (sloped sided cast iron pans are great, or medium sized non-stick), and stack 'em up until all the batter is gone. Tease Joel when he asks when it'll be time to eat. Serve with bacon, some fruit and good coffee. Squeeze a lemon or lime wedge over each crepe, sprinkle with powdered sugar, then a spray of whipped cream. Roll up and enjoy!

Christmas Gingersnaps
The original recipe is either from my great grandma Sartor or her daughter Alma. As usual, I've adapted it a little. Jamie and I have made these every year on the first weekend of December for the past six years. It all started with the Sauk Mountain Invitation-only Pottery Sale and some holiday baking at our house in 2000. Things change a little each year, and now we cruise a local sale for our holiday pottery shopping, but we always make these cookies. This is also a double batch (makes about 11 dozen), because we always make a bunch to share. They freeze like a dream too.

1 1/2 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 c. all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. ginger

Bake at 350 degrees F. Cream the wet ingredients, add the dry. Scoop onto parchment-covered cookie sheets with a 1-inch scoop and bake for about 8 mins for chewy cookies - 10 mins for crispier "snaps". You can roll the balls of dough in sugar before baking, but we've found that they taste better (and are better for you) without!

Got Milk?

Strangley, I crave chocolate chip cookies when I'm nursing. Not each time the baby eats (thank goodness), but during the months I'm feeding a little nursling. I think it's my friend Shelly's fault for bringing us a heaping, glorious plate of chocolate chip cookies when M was a couple days old. Instant association. Lucky for me, I like chocolate chip cookies, but don't seek them out with such fervor when my body stops burning those 500 extra calories/day to make milk. (Yes, E's shirt does say, "Breast - the original white milk")

The following recipe is amazing, and we got it from the Toyota dealership - they sent us a tin of these delicious morsels and (thankfully) the recipe. The secret to really excellent, soft cookies is to not overbake them - I stick with 8 mins for these and they are great. My other secret is to coursely chop really good dark chocolate bars and throw them in the dough in place of standard chocolate chips.

Great Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 ½ c. butter flavored shortening
2 ½ c. packed brown sugar
4 T. milk
2 T. vanilla
2 eggs

3 ½ c. flour
1 ½ t. baking soda
2 t. salt

2 ½ c. chocolate chips

Preheat to 375-degrees F. Combine shortening, sugar, milk & vanilla. Beat at medium until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients & add to creamed mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake for 8-10 minutes for chewy cookies and 11-13 minutes for crispy cookies. Do not overbake. Makes about 6 dozen.

A Glass Full of Sunshine

Orange Julius recipe from Lora. Joel & I used to make these in college. They're guaranteed to make you smile.
1/2 can frozen OJ concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
Ice to thicken
Blend and enjoy!

Tee's Chewy Cookies

Update: 6/1/2010... I made these with my kiddos today (hence, the 3.5 yr-old photo of the boy I've added), and we dubbed them "Scooby Snack Cookies." They love 'em! I did cut them a lot smaller after this plate, as they're sweeter than I remember!

My grandparents used to call me "Tee" and this recipe was one that I remember making by myself in Hawaii when I was about 6 years old. Yes, it really doesn't have any fat in it except from the nuts. Really good, gooey brownie-ish bar cookies - without chocolate. They'd be great with dark chocolate in them, or sub in pecans for the walnuts. Originally from my Mom's friend Belinda:

Mix together by hand (if you're a little kid) OR with a mixer:
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla

Add the following then combine well and pour into greased 8-inch square pan:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts

Bake 20 mins at 350-degrees F. Cut and serve to grownups or kids alike - all love 'em! These are especially great for tea-party treats.

The Mocking Joel (Blackberry Tart)

So, Joel teased me about blogging enough that I'm on to another blog...about things I'm ginning up in the kitchen, or things we're loving (from the grocery or at restaurants). This fabulous Blackberry Tart is from Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver (aka The Naked Chef), except that I made it easier by making a graham crust instead of a shortpastry crust... It was delicious. My adapted recipe for Torta di More:

Your favorite graham cracker crumb recipe - bake in 9-inch springform pan

Filling: 1 Tbs. vanilla paste (from Trader Joes), 18 oz. marscapone cheese (also at TJ's), 1/2 c. half & half, 3 Tbs. sugar, 3 Tbs. grappa or pear brandy

Whip the filling together with stand or hand mixer, until smooth & shiny. Spread over the cooled crust, then top with 3 cups fresh berries (pre-tossed in about 1/2 c. sugar).

(By the way, while he does tease me mercilessly about my blogging, Joel did make me the lovely header for this blog.)