On Leaps, Longings and Lemons...

So, my super duper awesome friend D. has had a lot of changes in these past months. She has a new job, a new house, and a new car. She'll soon meet lots of new people, and experience lots of new things. She's no longer a graduate student. She's Dr. D. now. I admire her so much, and as you can see from previous posts, I'm so, so proud of her, and proud to be her friend. I'm thrilled, as well, to have been lucky enough to watch her leap and succeed. It's no small feat, I think, to follow a dream through, to have the ability to work hard and get what you've worked for. So, to celebrate, D. and M. are throwing a housewarming/celebration party, to welcome the changes in their lives and to celebrate with the people around them.

I'm SO happy to celebrate these accomplishments and changes with them. As we speak, I'm making lemon bars to take to their party. More on that later. I have to say, though, that I find myself tinged with a little bit of sadness, as well. Any change is like that, really. Lots to celebrate, and lots to reminisce about, along with some sadness about letting go of one thing to follow another. This will be the first year of my Ph.D. I have gone through without D. My first orientation without her there. We have done this together for so long that, sometimes, I find myself unsure how to do it without her. Any project, any conference presentation, any major or minor detail, we did together. So much of our stuff intertwines that I often forget what's hers and what's mine. I will miss her presence at school. Of course, we will still work together and help each other, because we can and she isn't moving across country, in fact she is staying very close. I am lucky, as often this is not the case. This isn't to say that I don't have many wonderful friends and people at school. I do. But, I will miss her presence, the daily of our routines. I will miss her as she moves into this wonderful, new position in her life. I know she will do great. She always does.

And, so, I make lemon bars. I thought they were appropriate -- plus, D. loves them. A lemon bar can be truly unique -- the lemon, initially, tart and bitter, but eventually sweet, the reward of the sweet far outweighing the initial tart bitterness. And, they leave you wanting another, and another, and another. I know it will be that way for D. -- the difficulties of starting anew now will give way to the sweetness of being a professor, of living somewhere with space and breathing room, of driving a trustworthy car, of having achieved something that seems so unattainable in these limbo years of our lives.

These bars are easy to make, really. It's a recipe from a town cookbook, a tried and true easy Midwestern recipe. We do love our cake mixes. Ophelia beat this filling like a champ. Boy do I love her. Plus, how can you go wrong with blue and yellow?:)

1 box yellow cake mix
1/3 c. oil
1 egg

Mix until crumbly. Remove 3/4 c. from mixture, and press the rest into 9x13 pan. Bake for 12 min. at 350 degrees.

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
juice of one lemon
grated lemon rind (to taste)

Beat until smooth. Add to top of hot baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 min.

Enjoy!

Ace of Cakes I'm not...yet

Well, folks, this was our first attempt at a multi-layered cake. Ophelia and I are quite proud of ourselves, if we do say so. As you can see from the pictures -- success! More on that later. You see, P.'s parents are in town this week, so I wanted to have them over to celebrate and enjoy. I'd met them last night, and they are a hoot! I really enjoyed them. I can see now where P. gets her sense of humor and all around good/sweet nature. Her dad reminds me of many of the members of my family (tonight he taught us all about the new "Air Car," not to mention the fact that he rocks socks with crocs), and her mom is just as sweet as can be (she made me an amazingly cute apron -- what a perfect gift! Ophelia and I are totally decked out now). They made homemade applesauce yesterday and gave me some (YUM, eat your hearts out!), we worked on crochet (that's a story for another time, I am such a bad crochet teacher -- thanks for bailing us out, T!), went out to eat and tooled around for a while. So, tonight I wanted to welcome them to my home with a very heart-felt welcome and with many thanks. And how do Ophelia and I do that? Yes, that's right, with food. But not just any food -- something special.

That's where this cake comes in. It's called the "Perfect Party Cake" -- Ophelia and I, of course, wanted it to be the perfect party, so that's what we chose. It was a day of firsts for us, Ophelia and I. I'd never done a 4 layer cake. I'd also never made a true buttercream frosting before. Ophelia was as green as I was. If she was nervous, though, she didn't show it. What a champ. And thus the challenge began.

First, the cake -- it's a lemon-ish white cake, made with cake flour, lemon zest, butter, egg whites, baking powder. As you can see from the pictures, they turned out really well. It was much easier to deal with these cakes as opposed to the chocolate cakes I made for D.'s defense. I am sure it is because these were much less dense. So, while the cakes cooked, I began the buttercream frosting. In a double-boiler, I cooked 4 egg whites with 1 1/2 cups sugar. The directions told me to cook it for 3 min. or until it looked like shiny marshmallow spread. I likely cooked it for 5 min. because I wanted to make sure it was hot enough to actually cook. And, I also really like to put stuff in a double boiler. I have no idea why. I mean, whoever thought to do that kind of stuff?

So, once I did that, I was to let Ophelia at it. Ophelia was to beat the mixture for 5 min. or so until it almost tripled in size. Man, is she good at her jobs. I wish I was that competent. I think she likes that I'm a tad bit jealous of her strength and abilities. Notice she let me photograph her today. I don't think that the ego boost and the photograph is a coincidence. Just sayin'. Then, comes the butter. I almost had a coronary just looking at how much butter went into this frosting. I don't even think I can admit it here. Let's just say that Paula would be proud, very proud. And, I feel like I am doing my part to support the dairy farmers here in the Midwest. So, it's ok, right? Right?

Then, the final test for Ophelia -- just beat the shit out of this frosting for like 10 min., aerate it to the point of doubling, and then you're ready to frost. Ophelia handled it like a trooper. Sometimes, I swear I hear her whisper "bring it, bitch." It would figure my mixer would have an attitude.

And, then came the part I was dreading -- separating the cake layers. Now, I had never done that before, and considering how difficult the chocolate cake was to deal with, I was very, very afraid. But, then I figured if nothing else, I had ingredients to still make the brownies I had on hand as my backup, so I just went for it. Surprisingly, it was fairly easy to separate the layers. You can see that in the photos, as well.

Now, where the recipe divulged a bit from the original was with the frosting. It was to be a lemon buttercream frosting. Well, I made it a raspberry-lemon buttercream. Why, you may ask? Well, yes, Ophelia and both do enjoy pink very much. We also thought it looked very nice with the raspberries. And, while we could lie to you and tell you that's why, lying's really not our style. We let our crazy hang all out there.

I screwed up. Bottom line. I got the jam for the middle layers too close to the outside and knew that if I tried to spread that white buttercream frosting on the outside, I'd end up with pink streaks that were obviously not meant to be there. So, instead, we opted for a pink frosting that we made just by mixing in a few tablespoons of seedless raspberry jam.

Now, I will admit that this cake, for all the butter, is actually very light in taste. In fact, I might have liked a little bit heavier (in terms of weight and sweetness) buttercream. But, all in all, quite the party, and quite the party cake. Ophelia is sending me to an orchard tomorrow to get some apples and peaches, so stay tuned!

"Call Me" Blondie Brownies, or She Was What We Called a Suicide Blonde Maple Blondies

Well, as I am wont to do, at about 10:15 tonight I decided I wanted to bake something. I surfed the net for a bit, and found a recipe for Blondie brownies. Now, that spurred me to want my favorite dessert -- Applebees' Maple Blondie Brownie. I have no words to describe that dessert. My friend Janelle and I were having birthday lunch at the Applebees in the mall in Rochester, MN the first time I had that dessert. We'd had a Mucho Margarita fest, which commenced in a new sport (drunk shopping), which I only participated in once. I was, however, very good at this particular sport. My bank account didn't appreciate my greatness, however. Anyway, back to the story about the Maple Blondie. Janelle and I were known for enjoying food, so we went for it. The cold vanilla ice cream mixed with the creamy maple butter sauce with the decadent blondie was almost too much to handle. It's really the only other thing I remember about that day, thanks to the margaritas. I know Janelle and I had a good time, we always did, and the taste of that Blondie has stuck with me since that moment in 1998.

As you can see from the pictures, I decided to try to tackle it. I took some pictures of Ophelia, but she wasn't cooperating tonight. Sometimes, a star just won't be photographed. She might also be angry with me about a failed roll attempt yesterday, in which I had to throw some dough away that she worked very hard on. I apologized, but it might take a day or two. I don't blame her, I was pretty mad myself.

So, anyway, hoping I would come through for myself, I went hunting for white chocolate chips. In all my foresight, I had stocked some. I must have known this night was coming. And thus, the baking commenced.

Blondies:

1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/4 c. chocolate chips

Cream together wet ingredients. Sift together dry. Combine the two together and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Press into 8x8 greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut while warm.

Maple Butter Sauce (yes, of course this is low calorie -- do I make anything that's not?)
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1/4 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. white chocolate chips
1 tsp. salt
Maple Flavoring to taste

Melt first three ingredients in sauce pan, but do not boil. Once combined/melted, add in chocolate chips, maple flavoring and salt, off heat, and allow to melt. Serve hot over blondies.

And, now both Debbie Harry and Saul Bellow's heads are spinning around as I type. Enjoy!

We Be Jammin'

Anyone who knows me knows that I really hate summer for the most part. Put a big white girl in the heat and humidity, and boy does she get crabby and out of sorts. Walk outside, and within 20 minutes, I am a lobster. SPF 75 doesn't cut it for me. There is also nothing like trickles of sweat running down my body (in places when I was thin I couldn't even imagine existed) to make a big girl just love the summer. Yes I just said that out loud. Just tryin' to keep it real. Yes I just said that, too. Ok, I'll stop now. I promise.

However, summer does bring with it things that this big girl loves, too. Funnel cakes, for example, and mini donuts, corn on the cob, fried things on a stick (only in MN would we deep fat fry a Snickers bar), pork burgers, sno-cones, homemade ice cream, fairs and town celebrations (ask me about the Polka festival sometime -- yes, I polka. Don't knock it. It's a gift that comes in handy when you're drunk and at weddings. Trust me.), cool night walks, and most importantly, the fresh fruit. For the most part, I really don't like to eat fruit. But summer fruit and I have a special, special relationship. Oh, the berries, the sweet, juicy strawberries. The tiny, soft, lovely raspberries. The ripe, luscious peaches. Oh my. As my friend D. would say, somewhere there is a bottle of Tequila involved and she's likely screaming "inappropriate" at me. Ok, maybe at M. Maybe at both of us. It's worth it, my sweet, sweet berries...

Anyway, I got sidetracked for a second. I'm back. It was hot today, and my neighbors moved out really early this morning. Perhaps I'm delusional. Back to my point -- the berries. Earlier this summer, stubborn as I am, I managed to track down the last of the strawberry crop in a 3 state area (my research skillz are the bomb -- for berries, not for my dissertation). They were, hands down, the sweetest berries I think I've ever had. Minnesota berries are the best, I don't care what anyone else says. I made 28 jars of jam from those strawberries. I will never be the same.

I didn't get a picture of those, but I did catch the jamming bug. Bob Marley would be proud. So, after all my company left today and I cleaned up my kitchen, I decided, at 10 pm, to make some jam. No one ever claimed I was smart or logical, least of all me.

If you look closely at the pictures, yes, I cheated. I bought Driscoll's berries from the store. This was my trial run. If I like the jam, I'll go buy local berries. I found a couple of places to go for berries -- perhaps here or maybe here -- we'll see what happens. But, the test run was tonight. I'll give you the low-down on it in the next couple of days.

Ophelia oversaw the project, as you can see from the picture. She disapproved of my mashing methods, but otherwise I think she thought we did ok. I also think she didn't like me singing country to her, though I thought the Dixie Chicks were appropriate for jam-making. She's an alternative kinda girl, I think. Poor Ophelia.

As you can see, the fruit didn't yield much jam, but that's ok. Ophelia says to stay tuned for a peach pie soon -- Eckert's are in season, so a trip will be coming soon! If you want some jam, drop a line!

Strawberry-Rhubarb "I Want to Strangle a Chapter of my Diss" Crisp

The other day I saw rhubarb at our local Mejier. Now, my mother always told me not to get rhubarb past the 4th of July, but it looked really good and I hadn't had hardly any rhubarb this summer. It's kind of a past-time -- we always have rhubarb at our house during the summer. I remember Mom going out and getting some, making rhubarb crisp, the tang and the sweet melting in with the vanilla ice cream we always ate it with. It always made the house smell, distinctly, a little like a sweet tart. I think I was looking for a piece of home, maybe some comfort food. As you can tell from the title, I am ready to strangle my second chapter of my dissertation. I am going over it with my dissertation director tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.

Anyway, instead of working on the chapter, like I should have been doing, I made this crisp. It turned out really well, if I do say so myself. Yum! You'll see the cast of characters at the top -- pretty, diced rhubarb and sliced strawberries. It's an easy recipe, really, and apparently fool-proof. The last time I tried a cobbler-like dessert, it looked like I'd cooked it for four hours, and tasted like it, too. What a waste of expensive fruit that was.:P But, this one, this one has my vote of confidence.

Ophelia got a break with this one, for the most part. This crisp called for my trusty old pastry cutter. There is something really satisfying about using a pastry cutter. I think I like what it represents -- you separate the parts of many things to make a different thing from the parts. Plus, this crust and topping had a ton of butter -- hello, Paula Deen, it's nice to meet you. No I did not sneak a taste. Not at all. I wouldn't do such a thing. I come by this figure naturally, of course.

Ophelia did play a supporting role in this ensemble, mixing the cornstarch, water and sugar for the glaze mixture. I think she was happy to not be in the spotlight for this one, to tell you the truth. All the attention was making her uncomfortable, so she thought she'd share the limelight.

I really liked this recipe for the most part. I didn't have the 9 inch square pan that the recipe called for, so I used an 8 inch pan and just cooked it 10-15 min. longer. It turned out just fine. Just fine enough that I haven't shared it with anyone. Whoops. Maybe that's my mentality with my dissertation? Maybe?

Strawberry-Rhubarb "I Want to Strangle a Chapter of My Diss" Crisp
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
4 1/2 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. Press 1/3 into an ungreased 9-in. square baking pan (see my comment above for what I did instead -- I'll have to try with a 9-in square pan yet). Combine rhubarb and strawberries; spoon over crust. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the water and vanilla; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour over fruit. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour (1 hour 10-15 min. if in a 8-in square pan). Serve with ice cream if desired (it would also be good with homemade whipped cream). The crust does get a little bit soggy, but I found that if you only put a 1/3 of the crumb mixture in the bottom of the pan (the original recipe called for 1/2), it gets a little bit more crispy. It's also good to serve this to people right away. Enjoy!

She's a Doctor...

Just an update -- my friend D. is now Dr. D.! I am SO, SO proud of her! The cake was a success, just as she is.

Watching one of your very best friends achieve one of her major life goals = priceless.

A Labor of Love...

Cooking and baking, for me, are labors of love. And, man, that's a cause Ophelia can get behind.

Case in point: I am SO proud of my friend D. She defends her dissertation on Monday, and I know she will be just awesome. I wanted to do something for her defense, so I told her I'd make a cake. She has requested a Chocolate Raspberry cake, so today, I did a trial run. I had my good friends/celebrity taste testers K and P try it. The reviews were favorable, so I thought I'd post the recipes and antics here.

Now, I must admit that this is the first double-layered cake I've made. And, like all things new, I had some snafus. I broke the cake trying to put it on the pedestal. Then, I put waxed paper, meant to keep me from making a mess on the plate while frosting, too far under the cake, and broke off a chunk trying to remove it. I was also afraid Ophelia might rebel. The dough was thick, the steps many. She talked about walking, but decided that, since I asked her very nicely and promised to sing to her, she'd cooperate.

As you can see from the pictures above that chronicle our cake baking, we had some fun together. Yes, I do wear headphones while I bake. Likely, I was rocking out to Bon Jovi. Don't knock it till you try it. Really gets the creativity flowing. This was also my first experience with egg whites. Folding is harder than it looks, my friends.

Then, the baking -- bake, babies, bake! Likely at that point, I was dancing around the kitchen, singing Prince. Cakes like Prince. Don't ask why, just trust and try it. Ok, maybe it's for me -- he is, after all, a Minnesota boy.

They came out so pretty, don't you see? No, I know nothing about the cake with the smiley face. If you find the individual who picked the crunchy, chocolate-y goodness topping off so they could have a taste without ruining things, Ophelia offers a reward.

And, ah, the end result. I've turned it around so you can't see the broken side. And, now I've let my secret out of the bag. Cake Part Deux tomorrow!

Deep Chocolate Raspberry Cake
(recipe modified from Epicurious.com)

8 one-ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli)
4 one-ounce squares bittersweet chocolate (again, Ghiradelli)
7 eggs, seperated
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling:
1 pt. raspberries, crushed
4 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

Frosting:
6 one-ounce squares semi-sweet chocolate (once more, Ghiradelli -- I should own stock, or at least get a fee for promotion, no?)
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line bottom of 2 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring in 30 second intervals until melted. Cool, and beat in egg yolks. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat together beat butter or margarine, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add chocolate mixture, and continue beating until smooth. Stir in flour until just combined. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar, and continue beating until the whites hold soft peaks. Fold whites into chocolate batter, in three additions. Pour batter into prepared pans, and smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick stuck into the centers of the cakes comes out with moist crumbs, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans.

To Make Frosting: In a saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Chop 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, and stir into the cream. Remove saucepan from heat, and continue stirring until smooth. Pour frosting into bowl, and press sheet of plastic wrap directly against surface of chocolate to prevent formation of a skin. Refrigerate until thick enough to spread.

To Make Filling: Crush raspberries and combine with the jam. Sandwich the cake layers with raspberry filling. Spread top and sides with chocolate frosting.

Notes -- be very careful with the cakes -- they are dense and fudgy, and oh so good, but very, very hard to handle and not break. I wasn't as careful as I should have been and broke the bottom layer in three places. I placed the first layer top-side up, and the second layer top-side down, so that the filling connected with both of the crusty tops. This worked well, I think, because it allowed some of the raspberry filling to absorb into the cake, but not a huge amount to make it soggy. Make sure you can place the cake in the refridgerator for at least an hour before serving to make cutting easier. Enjoy!

Ophelia says to stay tuned for our strawberry-rhubarb crisp -- it's batter bowl scraping good!