30 May 2011

Baking with Buttermilk

I have decided that I am a baker and not really a cook.  That is to say I love cooking, but baking is way more fun!  It's calming and exciting at the same time!  I haven't quite figured out why I love baking more, but I have a few theories.

I make LOTS of doozies the kitchen when I'm trying to experiment with savoury dishes.  Not so much with baking, although to be fair I have made the occasional blunder.  In any case, when life throws me a curveball, I'd much rather have tea and cake than roasted chicken or balsamic-glazed salmon. 

Image taken from Ele at Kitchenist
Speaking of cakes, I've been experimenting with buttermilk over the past few weeks and I'd like to share two delicious recipes.  The first is perfect for a spring/summer, and the second feels more like an autumn treat.  :o)

VANILLA BUTTERMILK CAKE
This is a deliciously moist and dense cake.  Can substitute milk for the buttermilk if desired.

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Beat butter until fluffy.  Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy.  Add buttermilk and dry ingredients and mix well.  Pour into lightly greased 6" round cake pan.  Bakeat 350 for 45-55 minutes until done.  Let cool slightly before removing from pan.  Enjoy a piece topped with fresh whipped cream and berries. 


Image taken from Esi at Dishing Up Delights

APPLE BUTTERMILK CAKE WITH MAPLE SYRUP GLAZE
A maple-glazed apple pinwheel tops this nutmeg-scented buttermilk cake. The cake is also delicious without the glaze. 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
3 small McIntosh apples, thinly sliced

Glaze:
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Lightly butter 9 1/2"springform baking pan.  Stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg together and set aside.  Beat butter until fluffy.  Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Add buttermilk and flour mixture and mix until combined.  Pour into lightly buttered 9 1/2" springform baking pan.  Arrange slices of apple on top in concentric pattern.  Be sure to push the cut side of the fruit gently into batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until done.  

Whisk together syrup and cornstarch over medium heat until blended.  Bring to boil stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low stirring until mixture has thickened.  Drizzle over cake.  Wait for 5-10 minutes and then remove the sides of the pan.  Lightly brush sides of cake with glaze.  Drizzle any remaining glaze on top.  Cut into wedges and serve warm or cool.  Enjoy plain or with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.  :o)


26 May 2011

My Country Home

I have always loved the country.  My house isn't huge but it does have a large, french style kitchen with a bay window overlooking the backyard and a cozy nook for relaxing with a book while waiting for the oven to ding.  It's pretty quiet, especially in the mornings, so I like to sit on the porch as the sun rises with my tea and just soak up God's handiwork prior to starting my own. 

Image taken from Marilyn Hageman at allposters.com

My house sits on about an acre of land; a perfect space for kiddies to run around.  We have a beautiful vegetable garden out back where we grow huge tomato plants, zucchini, cuccumbers, onions, potatoes and some herbs.  We also have apple, cherry and peach trees, all of which are excellent for pies and tarts. 

Yes sir, I am a country girl.

Image taken by Robin Stubbert with Country Living

Ok, so truth be told, I live in a condo at the edge of Toronto, a bustling metropolitan city.  I don't have a garden to lovingly cultivate in quiet hours.  I don't have a little white house with a picket fence.  I don't even have a backyard for my kids to run around in.  And my kitchen?  It's about the size of your bathroom. 

I try not to let this get to me, but sometimes it bothers me in such a way that I have to make chocolate chip cookies.  Since today is Friday, I decided to make a dairy-free version.  I can't explain what it is about chocolate chip cookies that makes them soothe my "country-pinning".  Perhaps it's the chewy centres, moist yet firm, which distract me from my troubles.  Or perhaps it's the fact that they go so perfectly with afternoon tea, which in my books is a panacea for everything.  Whatever the case may be, cookies somehow return me to rights. 

Image taken from Anna at Cookie Madness
 
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES (Dairy Free)

1 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream margarine, sugars, and vanilla together.  Add rest of dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Add enough applesauce to moisten dough well.  Mix in chocolate chips and blend into dough.  Drop onto parchment lined baking sheet and flatten with hand.  Bake for about 12 minutes at 350 until slightly golden brown on top.  Let cool before removing from pan.

19 May 2011

The Farmers' Market

Yesterday the farmers' market nearby opened!  (Actually, I think it opened last week, but we couldn't get out to it, so for us it opened yesterday.)  They open from May until October and it's my favourite time of year!  :o)

Just seeing all the fresh fruits and vegetables displayed in their cartons made me happy.  The farmers cut up pieces of fruit so everyone could sample them.  I will say that the cherries were to DIE for!  We bought some sweet peaches (and I mean sweet!) and M. has practically devoured them all.  We also bought camomile soap and delicious blueberry honey - the honey is made from blueberry blossoms in NB.  

Taken from Anna at FlowerGardenGirl.wordpress.com


I found out from one of the vendors that not all the fruits and vegetables were locally grown.  To be fair, they were clearly labelled on signs, but I have to admit I was a little disappointed hearing this.  I can go to the supermarket and get the same produce that I get at my farmers market.  :o(  Bummer.  However, once the items are in season, they should be strictly from Ontario. 

Hopefully. 

18 May 2011

Handmade Monograms

J. wouldn't let me take a nap today.  So what's a tired mom to do?  I browsed the DIY section of Design Sponge and ended up finding a brilliant way to monogram paper!  Very, very cool for people like me who prefer old fashioned "snail mail" to email. 

On a somewhat related note, does anyone else detest the new "techno-slang" popping up everywhere (ie: "ttyl", etc.)?  I mean, come ON!  It's practically an abomination to the English language.  And this in addition to the street-slang we've adopted.  Ok, I admit I've used my share of "lol"s (laugh out louds), but I'm trying to cut back.  I feel it's like an unhealthy addiction.  Maybe it's not that bad, but seriously, I don't want to be around for the generation that loses the ability to craft beautiful handwritten letters.  This particular project has inspired me to do a little more writing and a little less typing. 

Image taken from Brenna Berger at Design*Sponge


Anyhow, receiving a letter in the mail ranks right up there with earl grey tea, finding a great book, and the smell of fresh baked bread straight from the oven.  Call me old-fashioned, but it makes my day writing a letter just as much as reading one too!  I think I'll make some monogrammed stationary sets for some friends as Christmas gifts.  (Never too early to start on Christmas gifts!)  :o)


10 May 2011

Going bananas

I received a pretty cool email the other day.  It was all about bananas and how their various properties were beneficial health-wise.  Actually, I thought it was so neat that I've made bananas the theme of this post!  Here are some of the cooler banana facts:

Anemia : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. 

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan. 


Image taken from Bee Yinn Low at Rasa Malaysia

And for the finale: CAKE!  If you needed more incentive to love bananas, I'm giving it to you right here!  It's also a great way to use up over-ripe bananas that no one wants to eat...


GLAZED BANANA CAKE (Dairy Free)

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a loaf pan (9x5").  In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup water.  Add oil.  Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Add to liquid ingredients and mix.  Add more water if needed to make batter a more runny consistency.  Add mashed bananas and mix well.  Pour into pan and bake for 45-60 minutes until done and golden brown on top.  Let cool completely.

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
1 Tbsp orange juice

Place confectioners sugar in a bowl, add orange juice and mix well.  Pour or spread glaze over top and sides of cooled cake.  Let harden for about 20 minutes before serving. :o)


7 May 2011

Happy Mothers Day!

I read an article in the Globe and Mail titled "Why the 1970s were the best time to be a mom".  It was a very interesting read.  I'm not sure I completely agree with the overall message, but I do think that the author has a point.  I have no doubt that being a mother in the 1970s was somewhat less stressful, especially given the evidence.  (The part where Dr. O'Reilly reminisces about being "aired" outside while her mother did laundry was gold!)  I need to believe that there's hope for me as a modern-day mom to have a great experience mothering my kids. 

After mulling things over during the day, I came to two conclusions.  Parenting in the 70s may have been more relaxed, but they didn't know the impact of various decisions to the extent we do today.  Take eating: health science was nowhere near as informed as today.  Mothers fed their kids whatever, but if they had known the potential impact of said food, would they still have done it?  The same for most other differences I can account for. 

The second conclusion I arrived at is I think moms and dads need to find the balance between the pressures of "perfect" parenting today and the joys of the nonchalance of yesteryears.  (Having more than one kid helps with letting go and not sweating the small stuff.)

2 May 2011

A Baptism & a Smoothie

I understand that this is a slighty boring, or at least irrelevent subject to most, but bear with me.  J's baptism is in two very short weeks and there is going to be a whirlwind of activity between now and then!  D's dad arrives on Thursday, which means that yours truly has to take it up a notch in the kitchen!  I don't know if I'll have time, but I'll do my best to post some of the recipes.  :o) 

We went downtown with J's Godmother on the weekend to get her dress.  It's very sweet and she looks darling in it.  The only things left to work out are the reception menu, the cake and the bonbonnieres. 

My aunt has been helping with the bonbonnieres and they look (as the pictures show) FABULOUS!  Who knew that something homemade could turn out looking professionally done.  I'm going to have to chalk it up to my aunt's innate talent and sense of style.  :o)


Aside from the baptism, life goes on.  Today was relatively typical: breakfast, chores, cooking... it all SOUNDS boring, but it never FEELS that way!  In fact, it's downright exciting!  (Ok, sometimes it's downright dangerous, but certainly never boring.)  Anyhow, while it was raining this morning, it was still hot enough to warrent a cool treat.  M. loves a good shake, so I obliged with this banana-strawberry version.


BANANABERRY SMOOTHIE

1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/3 - 1/2 litre organic soymilk (or almond milk)

Place banana, strawberries and about 2 cups of soymilk into blender.  Purée until smooth and creamy.  Add more soymilk as desired.