A formal introduction to cakes

For years I’ve found baking somewhat of a challenge. My husband even discouraged me from baking Christmas cookies since every year he got stuck having to eat all the rejected ones, which happened to be more than the good ones.

After the birth of my second child, I found myself baking more and realized how much I enjoyed the time to myself, the careful calculations and the warmth of the oven light as I watched my cake rise in the oven.

I started watching shows like Cake Boss and for the first time in a long time I was inspired again. It was time to express my creativity through cake design.

I recently joined Bonnie Gordon School for a few classes to introduce myself to this new world. I have quickly realized I have a passion for this. I find myself constantly thinking, dreaming and researching cakes.

I created my first fondant cake for thanksgiving. A chocolate raspberry butter cream filled cake. Here’s a super simple Chocolate cake recipe that I learned at the Bonnie Gordon School in my B1 baking class. It’s almost as easy as dumping it out of a box and adding water… I promise.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

1 tsp cornstarch

180 g all purpose flour

275 g sugar

1 tsp baking soda

60 g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla

75 ml light oil or melted butter

140 ml buttermilk

2 eggs

130 ml prepared coffee

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF and line pans with parchment paper.
2. Sift dry ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer, followed by remaining ingredients. Stir on low speed with paddle attachment for about 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and lump free.
3. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake at 325ºF for 20-25 min (or 12-15 min for cupcakes) until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Yields one 8" round, 4" high cake or about 24 cupcakes

It’s all about balance

There’s something about the orderly complexity of a pattern that I absolutely love.

The busy pattern in this invitation I designed is classic yet it’s application gives it a modern feel.

Over-sized ribbon threaded through the rhinestone buckle demonstrates the sheer elegance of the event and sets the stage for an unforgettable evening.


The booklet design allows you to experience the invitation as a new chapter into the couple’s lives. As you flip through the pages, love quotes guide you through the pertinent information of the event balanced again with the emotional story.

It runs in the family

I’d like to introduce myself as a contributor to the Casarecce blog. I’m Vitania’s Cousin Anna and I too enjoy things “home made”.

Although I too have a knack for home cooked meals (it runs in the family), my other obsession is for all things paper and all things baked.

I look forward to sharing with you some of the creations I’ve made as well as my journey to perfecting my baking and decorating skills. I hope to inspire you with some ideas and help you shape your own beautiful creations.

Cheers.

Sunday Night Chili

Usually, on the first Football Sunday in September, i make a huge Chili to kick off the season. Since we were a little busy this year, I made it yesterday . And boy was it delicious, fortunately there is enough left over for tomorrow night. I took the original recipe from Cooking light, but it had so many complicated ingredients - i simplified into this simple and savoury Chili. That's the great thing about Chili, it's yours to play around with and enjoy! As usual, my recipes are just guidelines, it's more fun to add more of what you like and less of what you don't..:-)

Sunday Night Chili

Photo Credit: Cooking Light via My Recipes

Yield:
8 servings

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Ingredients:
Olive Oil
500 Grams extra lean ground beef
500 Grams of lean Turkey sausages, removed from casings ( or pork sausage)
2 cups chopped onion
1 cups sliced carrots, I like rounds

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup lager-style beer (such as Budweiser)

1/2 cup or more of Water or Chicken stock
1 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 (15-ounce) can or 2 cups of red kidney beans

1 (15-ounce) can or 2 cups of Romano beans

2 -3 Cups of tomato passato or crushed tomatoes. I use home made so it's fairly water - canned tomatoes tends to be a little thicker .

1 smoked ham steak (I used Schneiders Old fashioned ham steak ) 175 Grams

NOTE: There is no salt added to this recipe because I found between the sausages and ham, as well as beans that were pre salted, it was not necessary. Watch for salt if you are using commercially prepared ingredients, it can add up quickly.

Extras
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled queso fresco OR Grated cheddar
8 lime wedges

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Preparation :
1. Heat oil id dutch oven over medium-high heat. Just a tablespoon. Add lean ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to slightly crumble. Transfer beef to side
2. Re coat pan if necessary. Add turkey sausage meat; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, turning occasionally. Transfer turkey to side dish
3. Re coat pan with olive oil. Add onion and carrots sauté 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beer; cook 1 minute. Return Ground meat to pot. Add water or Chicken stock to mix. Add chili powder, and all ingredients (through ham stead) to dutch oven.
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Cover over Med hi heat until it comes to a boil, and then simmer on low for an hour and a half.. Remove bay leaves. You can taste for salt and add a little if necessary. Ladle about 1 1/3 cups chili into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1 tablespoon green onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve each serving with 1 lime wedge. The lime wedge is delicious with Chili - I also served with some baked tortilla chips.
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A perfect day

Is there such a thing as perfect anything? Well no, but this day came pretty close. It was supposed to rain, but the day turned out great with the occasional bursts of sunshine. We decided to head out to a very popular apple orchard, just a few minutes away from our home, Chudleigh's. Not only does it have plenty of things for children to enjoy, but the grounds are just beautiful.
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So after a hay wagon ride, and pony rides, getting lost in the hay maze and a little BBQ fresh corn on the cob we finally set out to pick apples. We decided to try Cortland, which is very similar to the McIntosh only 3 x the size. They were absolutely delicious.

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It was so much fun to pick and eat and pick and eat! The kids had a ball, and were exhausted on the car ride home. The Grandparents decided to join us for an early dinner. And later on that evening, I made a wonderful Apple Crumble. Which we enjoyed warm, just before putting the day to rest.

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The recipe below belongs to my mother in law. Ever since she shared it with me, it has been a request at almost every family gathering. Warm apples, and crispy topping without the butter crust. It's perfect after a Thanksgiving meal. So here it is..

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Grandma's Apple Crumble

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Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Rolled Oats

1/3 cup of firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil ( Crisco)

4 cups of peeled apples

1/4 cup of orange juice

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Preparation:

Combine oats, brown sugar, flower and cinnamon. Stir until blended, adding oil. Place apples in baking dish and drizzle with orange juice. Spoon mixture over apples. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes or until bubbling. Serve warm!

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Please feel free to use pics, just give me a link back. Thanks.

Fall knits

Just a few years back, I was introduced to the wonderful world of knitting thanks to my incredibly talented Mother In Law. I was amazed to find all the beautiful things that could come from a couple of skeins of yarn. When I first started exploring, I found this exceptional knit Designer, Debbie Bliss. I was amazed to find a fine collection of wools, cottons, silks and cashmere's, as well as new and stylish patterns and books available.
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Since Fall is just about here, all i can think of is bundling up under a warm knit sweater. I have yet to complete my first sweater, but I have a small collections of scarves, and working on a hat. But I absolutely can't wait to get good enough to conquer some of these below. You can visit Debbie Bliss's site to view a collections of the yarns and books available. But I would suggest a trip to your local knitting store to truly appreciate this very fine art of fabric making.

Gnocchi a Mano

OK - this is getting a little embarrassing. It is officially impossible for me to document the process of preparing and cooking food. Have I mentioned I have kids, 2 kids..under the age of 3. Is it just me.. am I really disorganized..? Please tell me it's not just me or send me the magic calendar that has a time slot for everything.
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The good news is.... as I search for recipes similar to mine or moms - I have been finding the BEST food blogs. A couple of days ago I found, The Italian Dish, and introduced myself to Elaine. Wait til you see her blog. She makes cooking a pleasure... and you can practically taste the food, with her beautiful image gallery. So when I found her recipe for Gnocchi, I knew it would land here. Now I haven't officially made her version, but i will .. this week! She has Great Tips.

All photos below are from The Italian dish, and you can click HERE for the original post as well as instructional video.

Elaine's Tip: Bake the potato instead of boil it! Brilliant ! My mom would boil with skin on and peel and then you worry about consistency. I'll be showing off! Also, potato ricer a must. I have find me one of these.






Elaine's Tip: Potato scraper a must. For cutting, lifting gently and also clean up. Also, traditionally gnocchi have fork made ridges. They say - so the sauce sticks to it. Growing up, i was the fork lady Not today! No little ridges necessary. . According to Elaine, in Italy, no ridges.
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Gnocchi

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for a printable recipe, click here
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2 medium baking potatoes, about 1.5 pounds total (doesn't have to be exact)

2 egg yolks

almost 2 cups flour (you may not use all the flour)

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Bake potatoes in oven until tender. Let cool just until you can skin them, right before you make the gnocchi. The potato needs to be warm, or else the gnocchi will not turn out right - the flour and potato will not bind with the egg.

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Scoop out potato flesh and put through ricer into a bowl. Add slightly beaten egg yolks. incorporate about 1.5 cups of the flour and mix until a dough is formed. Place on counter. Using some of the rest of the flour, knead lightly until you have a nice dough formed, one that is not too sticky but yet is not super firm. If you feel you have obtained the right texture for the dough, do not continue to use all the flour.

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Cut the dough into three sections with a pastry scraper. Roll out the sections into cords and then, with the pastry scraper, cut the cords into one inch little gnocchi. Set gnocchi on a lightly floured towel until ready to use.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1/2 the gnocchi, and cover with lid. When the boil has returned you can remove lid and wait for gnocchi to float to top. The take them out with a spider, and place in serving dish. Repeat using remaining gnocchi.

You can serve with your favorite sauce. But in my house its always with a fresh tomato sauce !

Bon Appetito !