Happy Birthday Julia!

"Bring on the roasted potatoes, bring on the Rosé !"

Tomorrow, Aug 15, is Julia Child's 100th birthday. PBS put together this fantastic video is celebration.

Happy Birthday, Julia and thanks for sharing your passion, talent and enthusiasm for all things food!

Easy Raspberry-Lime Freezer Jam

Easy Raspberry-Lime Freezer Jam

Who knew making jam was so easy??? To be honest canning scares me - boiling bottles, sealing yada, yada, yada...not for me. BUT freezer jam is beyond easy - crush, stir, pour, done. Easy peasy.

Of course, freezer jam can't sit in your pantry because it is not properly sealed but it is great to make small batches of jam - keep a few jars for your family and give away the others to deserving friends! 

This jam has not only sweet, delicious raspberries but also a hit of lime zest which adds an amazing citrus zing to the jam.

I made a batch of home-made butter the same day as this jam - OMG when I slathered both on some fresh, warm bread! 

Note: I also made a batch with blackberries - you should too!

Ingredients

4 c raspberries, crushed (pulse in a food processor)
1-1/2 c sugar
1 package (45 g) freezer pectin
zest of 2 small limes

What to do

1. Stir sugar, zest and pectin in a large bowl.
2. Add crushed raspberries and stir for 3 minutes.
3. Spoon into 6 250ml preserving jars. Wipe clean and add lid and ring. Close tightly.
4. Let sit for 30 minutes so it thickens.

Refrigerate - will last up to 3 weeks
Freeze - will last up to 3 months

Homemade Canadian Rye Mustard Recipe

For many years I often felt left out as far as motherhood went ... you see my kids hated condiments....ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, mayo, cheese sauce on veggies....they just wouldn't eat the stuff. Plain broccoli, carrots, noodles were fine but if you offered them anything to dip those things in they would look at you like you were off your rocker.

Now that my son is a grown up six year old with "sophisticated" tastes, he does like ketchup and mayo but he still isn't completely sold on mustard and still dispises cheese sauce on veggies.

And my eight year old daughter hates them all (well, except cheesesauce but only on macaroni) which may explain her dislike of french fries - let's face it....without ketchup fries are just ... well...potatoes. (PS - Homemade ketchup recipe coming soon!)

So luckily for me when I came across a booze filled mustard recipe I didn't have to give a moments thought to whether I was about to start my kids down a path of addiction and smoked filled pubs... cause I know they won't touch this crazy good condiment recipe...I, on the other hand, am heading down to the bar as soon as I...hiccup...finish this last bite of pretzel covered in rye soaked mustard....hiccup...

Adapted from Gifts Cooks Love by Diane Morgan.

Ingredients

1 c mustard seeds

1 c Canadian rye (whiskey)

1 c water

1 c chopped dried apricots

5 tbsp cider vinegar

5 tbsp honey

1 tbsp kosher salt

What to do

1. Add mustard seeds, rye and water into a bowl and soak 12-24 hours.
2. Add apricots and soak for another 12 hours.
3. Reserving the liquid, strain the mixture.
4. In a food processor, pulse all ingredients including the reserve liquid, to desired consistency, adding remaining liquid as needed.
5. Place in clean jars, making sure to wipe the rims and secure the lids.
6. Refrigerate for 2-3 weeks so the flavours meld together.
7. It will keep for up to three months.
   

   

   
   

A Day at the Beach cake - Hawaiian themed party #3

A Day at the \beach!

A perfect topper to our Hawaiian themed party.

This is my favourite home-made cake. It is a buttery, melt in your mouth yellow cake. The flavour gets even better after a day or two (if it lasts that long)! I like that it is only a 6-inch, two layer cake - portion control! lol 

I also chose it for the topper of my daughter's cupcake tower because the top of the cupcake tower is also 6 inches! Perfect fit.

I used the same icing and decorating theme that I made for the cupcakes - in fact there was enough left from the cupcakes that I didn't have to make more. I found the chair, trees, and flamingo at my trusty cake decorating shop.

The Hawaiian themed party was great fun and my 6 year old son has already put in his request for his next birthday party (even though it's 9 months away!) - Angry Birds. I've already started planning...

A Day at the Beach Cake

Adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients

1 c cake flour
¾ c butter, unsalted and at room temperature
1 c sugar, preferably berry or super fine sugar (not icing sugar!)
½ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 eggs, large and at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla

Decorations
1-1/2 c icing
1/4 c graham cracker crumbs for "beach"strip
1 lifesaver gummy
2 teddy grahams
1 leather 
various beach decorations - umbrella, candy surf boards, chair, flamingos etc.

What to do 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour two 6-inch cake pans.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar for 4 minutes. 
4. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat each egg addition for 30 seconds. 
5. Stir in vanilla.
6. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder.
7. Add to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
8. Divide between prepared pans.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Cool for 10 minutes and invert on to cooling racks. Reinvert so cake top is up. Cool completely before decorating.
11. Using your favourite butter cream or mine, frost cake including within the layer.
12. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs to resemble sandy beach.
13. Add beach decorations.
14. Use teddy grahams, gumy life savers and fruit leather as described in bear cupcake recipe.

Beach Bear Cupcake Recipe - Hawaiian themed party #2

Beach bear cupcakes - with a rainbow surprise inside!

This is the second of three recipes from my Hawaiian themed party posts. These little cupcakes were definitely a hit with the 6 - 8 year old crowd! They loved that not only was it a cupcake but that it was also part cookie and candy! The rainbow cake they found inside was the icing on the cake, so to speak!

Bears at the beach!

The cupcake is a vanilla cake recipe. The batter is divided and coloured and finally layered in the muffin tins - super easy. The decorating of the cupcakes also could not be easier! Slap on some blue icing, stick in a little umbrella, a couple teddy grahams, a bite of fruit leather and a gummy life-saver and SHAZAM you are on your way to making any party a memorable hit!

Beach Bear Rainbow Cupcakes

Makes 24-27 cupcakes.

Ingredients

12 ounces or 1-1/2 c of unsalted butter
2 c sugar (I prefer berry sugar)
4 eggs
1/4 c vanilla
4 c all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk


various food colour gels (I use Wilton brand - the colours come out particularly vibrant)


Icing - see recipe below
Vanilla butter cream


Decorations
2 teddy graham bears per cupcake
graham cracker crumbs - about 1-1/2 cups.
fruit leather - if using store bought strips, you can usually cut three towels per one fruit leather.
life saver gummies - same number as cupcakes
cocktail umbrellas - same number as cupcakes


What to do

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar together for 8-10 minutes.
3. Add eggs, one at a time and mix for 30 seconds after adding each one.
4. Add vanilla and mix.
5. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
6. Add 1/3 of the flour bowl to the creamed mixture and beat till smooth.
7. Beat in half of the milk and mix until smooth. 
8. Repeat with flour then milk and then flour again.
9. Divide the batter into as many bowls as you have colours (I wouldn't recommend more than four).
10. Add colour to the batter by using a toothpick. Stir until colour is even. Add colour until desired shade is reached.
11. Set 24-27 muffin tins with muffin liners. 
12. Place a tbsp or so of one colour batter into each muffin liner. Repeat with remaining coloured batters. Cups should be about 3/4 full.
13. Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Butter cream Icing

Ingredients
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, unsalted and at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c milk

What to do

• Sift sugar into large bowl.
• Cut butter into smaller pieces.
• Turn mixer on low and slowly add the butter one piece at a time.
• Add vanilla.
• Slowly add milk.
• Turn to medium speed and beat for 4 minutes.
• Add blue food coloring and beat until consistent color is reached.

How to decorate

1. Spread icing onto cupcake - not too thick since there will be other candy on it. "Rough" up the icing so it looks more like water by using a spoon or small spatula and lift it off the icing on one half. 
2. On the other half sprinkle graham cracker crumbs so it resembles a sandy beach.
3. Cut fruit leathers into towels so they are a little bit longer than the teddy. Place on sand (you may need to add a dollop of icing on the bottom of fruit leather so it sticks to sand).
4. Add a dollop of icing to the back of teddy and place on fruit leather towel.
5. Stick umbrella next to bear.
6. Take a gummy lifesaver and place over teddy. Stick teddy into the water.

Enjoy!

See the orange lifesaver gummy?
A few burst die to the girth of the teddies! Still delicious!

Flip-flop Cookies Recipe - Hawaiian Themed Kids Party

Flip flop and island flowers add to the Hawaiian themed party.

My little girl turns 8 this weekend. Yikes, eight years. That's 2,922 days (including leap years). Wow, where has time gone? This birthday makes me especially nostalgic. You see she was born just before the Summer Olympics in 2004. The theme of those games was "Welcome Home"  - just like we were welcoming home our daughter. And since Athens is 10 hours ahead of Vancouver, my daughter and I spent a lot of late nights and early morning feedings snuggled up on our Ikea couch watching the Games. They were special bonding moments even if she doesn't remember them! 


In 2010, Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics. The feeling in the city was electric - just walking downtown amongst all of the athletes and visitors was as fun as attending the events. My daughter and I went to a skating event to watch Patrick Chan (Canadian Champion) work his magic. And our entire family went to curling and took in many of the free events throughout the city. It was an unforgettable time. I'm sure many Londoners are experiencing the same sense of pride and excitement as we did in 2010.


This year as we watch many Olympic events, our kids are once again caught up in the talent and spirit of the Games. In fact, after watching a day of swimming events my daughter has decided that she will be an Olympic swimmer when she is 16. She's written out her training plan which includes swimming laps four days a week and improving her diving! But isn't that what the Olympics and being 8 yrs old is all about - dreaming big, believing in yourself and living life to the max.  

The big "8".

For her birthday party last weekend, we had not an Olympic theme but Hawaiian (she really wanted to wear grass skirts :). 


We decorated the house and yard with dozens of leis, paper lanterns, Hawaiian cut outs, flowers, blow up aquatic animals, and fish nets. All the kids had leis and grass skirts and name tags with their Hawaiian names printed on them. We also purchased plastic pineapple cups that we filled with "Hawaiian" punch. We downloaded Hawaiian music (with some steel drums thrown in and, of course, a little Carly Rae Jepson). 

I love these flip-flop cookies, how about you?

The kids played games including pin the coconut on the palm tree, the limbo, sack races, bobbing for apples, Hula hooping, and hula dancing. The kids also had their own conga line. 

Hawaiian themed birthday treats!

For lunch we made Hawaiian nachos (OK so nachos aren't Hawaiian but who cares, they're nachos!), fruit, flop-flop cookies, beach bear cupcakes and bears at the beach cake. 

Beach bear cupcakes hide a colourful surprise inside.

For loot bags they each got a beach bag that they could carry their leis, grass skirts and pineapple cups in along with pop rocks and extra flip flop cookies. Judging by the smiles as they left, the party was a success!

Bear- on-vacation cake is easy and sure to please.

Recipe Schedule

Over the next few days I will post recipes for the flip-flop cookies, beach bear cupcakes and the "bears on vacation" cake.


The cupcakes are really vanilla cake dyed with various colours to make them more festive and the icing is a simple vanilla butter cream dyed blue.  The little cake on top is a simple 6 inch cake that is beautifully buttery and moist. 


The flip-flop cookies are two recipes - one a chocolate cookie from Lilaloa. I recommend trying them - they don't spread and taste like a brownie cookie. Yum. The other is an easy and delicious a simple butter cookie originally from Cook's Illustrated. It stands up well to rolling and cut outs. The icing is royal icing with little candy flowers as the toe piece.

Hawaiian Themed Party Recipe #1

Flip-Flop Cookies

Warning: These cookies take time - at least 2-3, maybe 4, days. If I were you, I'd bake the cookies on day 1, decorate the base on day 2 and the toe piece on day 3 - they still need another day to dry!

Learn from me: Leave time! The first time I made them my flooding icing was too thin and it took 2 days to dry!!!!!

Luckily these cookies keep well!

Ingredients
2-1/2 c all purpose flour
3/4 c berry sugar
1/4 tsp salt
16 tbsp or 1/2 c unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature


What to do

1. Using your stand mixer and the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar and salt on lowest speed for 10 seconds.
2. Add butter by the tbsp and mix until dough comes together in a crumbly like consistency (a minute or two).
3. Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix until dough comes together into large clump and isn't sticking to sides of bowl.
4. Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten slightly. 
5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out dough so it's about 1/8 inch thick.
8. Cut into flip flops using cookie cutter. Place cookies on cookie pan with parchment or silpat. Cookies should be about 2 inches apart.
9. Place pan in fridge for ten minutes.
10. Place pan in oven and bake for 10 minutes, until cookies are golden.
11. Let cool five minutes and then remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
12. Re-roll remaining dough (if if too soft refrigerate for ten minutes) and repeat. 
13. Use second half dough in the same way.
14. Makes about 36 cookies. 
15. Cool completely before decorating!

To decorate

Equipment

icing bags or Ziploc

decorating tip #2 (Wilton)

Ingredients
Pre-made royal icing mix. (I use a powder that I only have to add water to.)
Teal blue food colouring (or whatever colour you want to use for base)
Pink food colouring for toe piece or leave white
pre-made candy flowers (optional) - I buy mine here at Scoop 'n Save - great little shop in Langley - they even have mail-order!


36 flip-flop cookies


What to do


Step one - base of flip-flop

1. Outline each flip-flop by attaching the #2 tip to your decorating bag and filling the bag with royal icing you have made to a piping consistency. Try to get as close to the edge as possible.
2. Using another bag with a slightly bigger tip or using a Ziploc bag with a small corner cut off fill with royal icing that has a flood consistency. "Flood" or fill each cookie with the same colour royal icing overnight as your outline.
3. These must now dry before you can add the toe piece - let them dry over night or 8-10 hours.

Step 2 - Toe Piece

1. Make more royal icing - about 1/4 the amount as in Step 1.
2. Leave white or colour as desired.
3. Pipe toe piece outline and then using flood consistency fill in the toe piece. 
4. If desired add flower candy.
5. Let dry 12 - 24 hours.

Tip
If royal icing scares you or haven't used it before read this post from Lilaloa. She is brilliant and an excellent teacher!


Check back in the next couple days for the recipe for "Beach Bear" Cupcakes!

Raspberry Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Ganache

Rasperberry chocolate cake
with sour cream chocolate ganache.

My husband loves chocolate layer cake with raspberry jam...in fact i don't think he has requested any other kind of birthday in the almost 17 years we have been together. And although he'd be happy with a Betty Crocker mix, that isn't my style - especially for a 40th birthday!

Instead I combined a great recipe I found on epicurious and my favorite sour cream ganache frosting recipe and made this cake. It was a hit - the only problem was trying to light ALL those candles before the icing melted! :)

I love the jam-ganache sandwich in the middle layer!

Chocolate Cake

cake adapted from Epicurious recipe.

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs

Good enough for a 40th birthday party!
And stands up to the heat of all those candles!

For cake:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Position racks in top and bottom third of oven.
• Coat two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray or butter and flour to prevent sticking.
• Sift flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt into large mixing bowl; whisk.
• With a spoon or whisk, form a well in center of sifted mixture.
• In another bowl or large measuring cup, whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, vanilla, oil, and eggs until combined.
• Pour wet ingredients into the well of dry ingredients; mix until just combined - do not over mix!
• Divide cake batter between prepared the 2 pans (about 3 cups each).
• Bake cakes until tooth pick inserted into center comes out cake free, about 30 minutes.
• Cool completely in pans on cooling racks. Cool completely before continuing.

Sour cream chocolate ganache frosting

this recipe is the amazing creation of Rose Levy Beranbaum

Ingredients

• semi-sweet chocolate (no higher than 62%) - 24 ounces or 680 grams
• room temperature sour cream (use full fat) - 3 1/3 cups, 28 ounces or 800 grams

What to do

• In a double boiler set over hot water or in a bowl using your a microwave oven melt the chocolate using high power, stirring every 20 seconds – watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.
• Remove it from the stove or microwave and gently stir in the sour cream until combined.
• This ganache not only tastely heavenly, it pipes well and keeps its shape even in summer (up to 100 degrees F and it shouldn’t melt much!). You can refrigerate it for a week, if needed – just bring back to room temp before spreading. I also keep some in the freezer for emergencies!
• Depending on your love of this ganache, this recipe should be more than enough to finish this cake. You may even have 1/2 c or so left over (lucky you!).

Filling

3/4 cup raspberry jam

Mmmm....don't you want a piece right now?!

Cake Assembly

• Invert 1 cake layer onto cardboard round or bottom of 9-inch-diameter removable bottom tart.
• Spoon large dollops of ganache over top of first cake and spread evenly.
• Spread 4 tablespoons jam over gananche leaving an inch all around outside of cake layer so that when you place another cake layer on top the jam doesn't squish down the sides.
• Invert 2nd cake layer onto another cardboard round or tart pan bottom.
• You want to create a bit of a jam sandwich between the cake layers so carefuly spread a thin layer of ganache on the side that will touch the inside ganache/jam layer.
• Carefully place the frosted side of the 2nd layer onto the 1st frosted cake layer.
• Place large dollops of ganache on top of the layer cake and carefully spread over top and sides of cake to frost.
• Spoon and gently spread 1/3 c of raspberry jam (if stiff you can gently warm the jam in microwave for a 10-15 seconds) in centre of cake leaving an inch around the edge of cake top. Pipe ganache around jam and on bottom as desired.