elliemoon

WOODLAND EASTER EGGS

we did the scavenging for our woodland egg supplies two nights ago, thinking we would wake up yesterday to another 5 inches. luckily, the storm missed us. which was nice, as some of our favorite specimens had shriveled up despite our best efforts.

these easter eggs are the most "wow" inducing eggs we've tried. they even beat out last years. they are also super simple. just poke around the yard, grab some nylons, elastics, yellow onions and vinegar and you're good to go. that sounded more involved than it really is::

wetting the eggs definitely helps with the process. then just stretch the nylons tightly over the greenery and tie them up. for these dozen eggs i used the skins of two small bags of yellow onions and about a 1/2 cup of vinegar. add water until everything is just covered and bring to a simmer. simmer for 15 minutes and let sit for 15 more. worth every minute. so beautiful and all natural, what more could you ask for?

this post was inspired by this post. thanks alicia!

 

CAULDRON CAKES

harry potter is back. it's official. kai has decided to reread the series and is watching each film as he finishes each book. here's hoping, as we progress through the films, that no one will remember the butter beer. probably not a realistic hope though as kai dug this book out about a week ago. he leafed through once and then started gearing up for saturday morning cauldron cakes. if you know a harry potter fan who also likes to help in the kitchen, this book is terrific. big b's mom got it for kai a couple of years ago and it's full of great stuff::

new skills learned: how to zest a lemon/using the microplane and how to juice a lemon/using a reamer. such the aspiring chef. he was so excited. and these cauldron cakes were delicious. all that lemon mellowed out on the griddle and these tasted like an italian cookie flavored pancake. and there is nothing wrong with that! i assure you.

 

 

EASTER PREPARATIONS, NOT GOING SO WELL

my first attempt at a batch of homemade peeps came out looking like something a peep might do, if you catch my drift. back to the drawing board. 

 

STORM BAKING, AGAIN

if these nor'easters don't let up soon, i may develop some cholesterol issues::

these aren't just to warm the kitchen though. i do have a special plan. may my hands be steady enough to make these picture worthy in the end.

happy weekend! and happy daylight saving time. another hour of light? i'll drink to that!

 

 

COWBOY COMFORT FOOD

warning, this book could be dangerous if you don't have a family that works cattle from dawn until dark. but if you're in the middle of a winter that won't quit, have done your share of shoveling and need some serious comfort food, look no further. also, if you have a significant other who thinks that every recipe you've ever tried could be greatly improved by the addition of bacon, this book is for you as well. i'm lucky enough to fit both of those descriptions::

i thought i was getting a great deal on her new book, turns out that's because this is her old one. no matter though, this one is full of great stuff too! such as::

these are french breakfast puffs. but you know what these taste like a couple of days out, when they've dried a bit? they taste exactly like drakes coffee cakes. it's true. i kid you not. i'm almost glad i over baked them for a minute or two. oh, memories of a junk food childhood! i would even go so far as to say that (if you wanted to get really disgusting about it) you could bake these with a streusel topping and then only coat the sides and bottom with the cinnamon and sugar and you would have an exact replica of the drakes. exact.

why did i have to think of that? it will haunt me now.

beans and skillet cornbread are next in line. though big b probably wishes i'd dive right into the fried chicken. baby steps, baby steps.

happy weekend and happy, happy march! the warmth is coming!! 

 

TEA PARTY CAKE POPS

cake pops are everywhere. you can't deny their cuteness, no matter how tough you are. however, when i first researched how they were made i got a bit turned off. the inside is crumbled cake that is mixed with frosting until it reaches a consistency where it can be rolled into balls. for some reason that bothered me. but after seeing way too many beautiful pictures on blogs and pinterest, i decided to get over it. we had a tea party coming up and i wanted to make something new. besides, what better way to say "i love you" than by serving a dessert that's partially digested? "look, i did some of the chewing for you. that's how much i care." it's a thoughtful gesture really::

here's a link to a great video tutorial. it's by angie, the cake pop queen! her blog is bakerella and she's got a cake pop book out now that's full of fun ideas. we kept ours simple for the trial run::

to offset the whole idea of what's in there, i opted for a from scratch cake and my own cream cheese frosting. it was the first time i tried this particular cake recipe and it came out not so sweet. well, the tea party girls didn't go for it. but i passed some out to big b and the boys later and got a thumbs up all around. and i loved them, though my sweet toothed opinion doesn't hold much weight. mixed reviews. 

so here's what i did, just to be sure of the flavor: i made them again with box cake (which is what's recommended). but you know what? the resulting sweetness was way too much. the scratch cake is just non-sweet enough to compliment the candy coating. it really is much, much better. in case you were thinking of trying them, now you know! and in the end, you realize that one cake pop is nutritionally less evil than your average slice of layer cake. i think i've come full circle. cake pop consumption, justified!

 

 

DUTCH BABY LOVE

i don't know why it took me so long to make my first dutch baby, but i can tell you right now, it won't be very long before i make my next::

just incredible. so good. so very, very good. i followed this recipe which is from the joy of cooking. if you use it too, don't use 8 tablespoons of butter in the skillet. really. that has to be a typo. i checked out a few different dutch baby recipes and all are very similar, but most call for only 2-4 tablespoons. i went with 4 and it was still a little much. and if i'm saying that, you know it's a lot. i have no problem with butter consumption, in case you haven't noticed!

 

 

 

THE SECOND STORM

another windy, lengthy snowstorm hit us on sunday. not nearly as fierce as nemo, thank goodness, but close enough. some big gusts, but the power prevailed! so in the end, we got our relaxing day of stormy weather. we could open the fridge as much as we wanted to, make whatever we desired and run the water to clean it all up. the oven was on nearly all day. we started with our big sunday breakfast and hot chocolates all around, but whirled up some smoothies later per special request. a certain someone is ready for some warm weather treats to start coming out of the kitchen, and rightly so::

a little dollop of vanilla yogurt on top for good measure. then it was on to some bread making and soup simmering::

yes, those are heart shaped carrots (inspired by a pin). i warned you that the valentines day ideas would be trickling in. this was the most comforting pot of chicken soup i've ever made. perfect for our perfect snow day. power during a storm is a very lovely thing.

 

 

BRRRRR......

baking our way through these single digit temperatures and negative wind chills. i won't admit to how many of these i've eaten. the very popular everlasting bran muffins.

 

 

VANILLA ICE CREAM, CASE CLOSED

remember my search? well i think this is just about as close as it gets. i'm so happy i picked up a copy of this book, i highly recommend it::

five egg yolks, but not too eggy tasting. and all that vanilla? mmmmm....::

after this i want to make every recipe in the book. and there are many, many recipes. not just ice cream! is it wrong that i want to go back to san fran just to visit the shop? also, if you've never tried making your own ice cream, this book has an excellently photographed and perfectly detailed step by step on the techniques. next up? i'd have to say it's a tie between the salted caramel ice cream and the brown sugar ice cream with a ginger-caramel swirl. oh. man.

happy weekend!