strawberry cream soda

when i think of summer picnics

my mind wanders to

a scene from oklahoma

the one where they were raising money for the schoolhouse

the gals made picnic hampers

and

the pals bid on them

while we never actually saw the food

we were told

that under the kitchen cloth, the baskets overflowed with

ham

and 

biscuits

and 

pie

food. so. good.

it made people break out in song

i wish my picnics were as magical

i'm betting

if i whipped this cream soda out of my hamper

hubster would whisk me away

in a

surrey with  fringe on top

white horses and all

strawberry cream soda

(printable recipe)

makes 1 serving

1 Tbs mashed strawberries or strawberry puree

sugar *

1 Tbs cream

1/2 cup ice cold ginger ale

ice cubes

*summer strawberries are so sweet the don't need extra sugar, but if you like a really sweet soda, use at your discretion.

place the strawberries and cream in a glass and give it a good stir.  add several ice cubes and then pour ginger ale to fill the glass.  serve immediately.

sugared roses

 it has been mentioned before

that our mountain cabin was once owned by 

the character actress dodo denny

by all accounts

she was a lover of roses

her rose garden is the talk of the neighborhood

who collectively
may have been

a bit disappointed in our attention to it

i personally believe

dodo is a bit put off too

let me explain

we purchased the home after dodo passed

4 years after

the grounds had been neglected

and the prized roses left to die

i am not fond of taunting the dead

so

i pruned the bushes back

to almost nothing

retrained the trellis roses

pulled those that were not going to make it

and then

 i let them be

while we worked on the rest of the garden

finally

2 summers later

dodo's rose garden

is making a comeback

we are enjoying the scent and beauty of the flowers

but
i couldn't resist

cutting a few 

to make sugared rose petals

please don't snitch

dodo is just starting to like us

Sugared Roses

(printable recipe)

freshly picked, pesticide free roses*
granulated sugar (about 1 cup per rose)
vodka
wash the roses while whole gently, and allow to dry.  i swish them in a bowl of cool clean water.  once the roses have air dried, carefully remove the petals. discard any that are discolored or are browning (or set aside to dry and use as potpourri). spread the petals out on paper towels while you work on the other flowers.
place about a 1/4 cup of vodka in a bowl.  pour sugar in a shallow dish about 1/2 inch thick. you will need more sugar, as it will get damp and become difficult to work with. do not pour in all your sugar at once. 
prepare a sheet pan with wax or parchment paper on it to be used for your sugared petals.
dip each petal in the vodka, then lay it on the sugar.  you can do 4 or 5 at a time, but work quickly, as the vodka evaporates.  once you have 4 or 5 petals resting on the sugar, spoon more sugar on top.  gently press the petals and turn once to coat evenly.  remove from the sugar and place on parchment lined sheet pan.  resist the urge to move/touch them. allow to dry about 12 hours, but can take up to 48. store in an airtight container, lined with paper towel in a single layer until ready to use.
note: i used vodka rather than egg white, for ease. you can use powdered egg whites with a bit of water and have a great result. if you choose to do it this way,  use a paint brush to get the whites on the flower.


*it is very important that you know firsthand that your roses are free of pesticides

chocolate eclairs

while in paris last fall

hubster and i made a quick stop

at

lauduree

a beautiful pastry shop known world-wide 

for 

gorgeous confections and beautiful tea salon

only in paris for the afternoon

arriving 

via chunnel from london in the morning

and scheduled

on a sleeper train to barcelona, later in the evening

we were making a whirl-wind day of it

while waiting in a very long taxi queue, i spotted a gentleman

with a car for hire

because it was hubster's first time in paris

 and 

we wanted to see as many sights as possible, in our short stay

i made a unilateral decision 

a hired car was definitely the way to go

thankfully

pierre was a good sport

and 

negotiated fairly with me

despite my butchering of his beautiful language

as i waved hubster from the taxi queue, i saw a look i have never before seen 

one that perfectly combined the relief he felt that we would be on our way

and 

worry that i had blown our entire travel budget on a frivolous luxury

he was partly right

the day was perfect

we climbed the eiffel tower, stood under the arc de triomphe

glided down the the champs-elysees, spent hours in the louvre

relished in a languid lunch with a bottle of wine

and

shared afternoon tea with well dressed dames at laudree

drunk with culture and satiated with sweets

i eagerly purchased the laudree sucre cookbook

a beautiful tome with a cover of suede

presented in a gift box

so beautiful and full of promise

i tucked it away for the rest of our journey

and promptly forgot about it

recently i discovered this little jewel

and became inspired

which is why

on a whim

i made eclairs

printable recipe

i am linking this to hearth and soul

and
a little birdie told me

strawberry harvest

this evening

i worked my way through our strawberry patch

delicately cupping clusters of

sun warmed crimson fruit

hunched like a greedy troll

while on tip-toe

i

may have looked like a mountain dancer

while in reality

i was minding the space underfoot

careful not to crush

those berries not yet at perfect pitch

last year

we planted 4 varieties of strawberry

two june bearing

chandler and sequoia

one everbearing

quinalt

and finally

alpine

which we grew from seed

direct from italy

the berries grow different sizes

at different rates

each with its own flavor profile

but equally sweet

very sweet

with strawberry flavor

that

saturates your tongue

our first harvest

is strictly for eating

one by one

until our bellies are full

and our lips

rosy red

i'll let you know if there are any left for sharing

strawberry cake

 

it wasn't that long ago

so i am sure you remember 

my caramel cake story

well

you may also remember

that part of my bounty was

a strawberry cake

which was amazing

the only other strawberry cake i had ever eaten

was while in culinary school

one of the gals

brought it in for a birthday celebration

it was good and very popular

 i about died

when she started listing the ingredients

box cake

jello

cool whip

i do give her credit

it takes major

cakehones

(yes I know that isn't the word and it is spelled with a j)

to bring a

less than semi-homemade cake

to culinary school

but

i was training to be a pastry snob

so i never made it

and then i went to mississippi

where they know their cake

and i found myself

on a whole new quest

i had to

develop a great recipe

for completely homemade

strawberry cake

i think i got it

and now

i give it to you

enjoy!

strawberry cake

*inspired by rose levy birnbaum's white velvet butter cake*

(printable recipe)

cake

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 Tbs powdered sugar

mix together and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients

4 oz egg whites (about 4 1/2 egg whites)--at room temperature

1 cup milk--at room temperature

2 1/4 tsp vanilla

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 Tbs + 1 tsp baking powder

12 Tbs butter--at room temperature

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup good strawberry jam

combine egg whites and 1/4 cup milk with vanilla in a bowl.  in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder.  add to it the butter and mix until crumbly.  turn the mixer to low and add the remaining 3/4 cup milk stirring until completely moist.  increase the speed to medium and beat for about 1 minute.  add egg white mixture 1/3 at a time, scraping down the sides between additions.  stir in strawberry jam and sugared strawberries by hand.  divide mixture between 2-8" pans that have been greased and lined with parchment paper. bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes (use the skewer test to ensure the cake is baked properly). remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

strawberry-pecan icing

1 lb cream cheese--at room temperature

3/4 lb unsalted butter--at room temperature

6 cups powdered sugar (more or less)
1/2 cup good strawberry jam

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup pecans--toasted and chopped

beat the cream cheese and butter together. if using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.  add the jam, vanilla and salt and beat until fully combined.  add the sugar 1 cup at a time. check for preferred sweetness after the 4th cup of sugar--add more if you like. i like it with the 6 cups. stir in the pecans and use to generously frost  your cake.

(i don't split the layers...this is a 2 layer cake with a 1/4" thick of icing as filling)

when things don't go exactly as planned

i don't know how to tell this story

without sounding a bit

braggadocious
but i want to tell it
so i'll take that chance

it all started when the priest didn't check into the hotel

or maybe 

it all started when the weather suddenly changed from

partly sunny

to

mostly rainy

or maybe

 it was when i threw my back out

things were getting so out of hand

that 

upon smelling the wood in the pizza oven

i went into a mild panic

i imagined
the house was burning down

wouldn't that have been

the 

icing on the cake

i'm pretty good under pressure

i was always a last minute lulu in school
but

saturday night tested me good

tested us all

saturday was the big day

a celebration

50 years in the making

dinner and dancing

alfresco

with the pacific as the backdrop

my parents planned to

renew their wedding vows

followed by

a huge party

in the garden of their new home

at half past six

at three it was all on track

smooth as silk

drama free

with a slight chance of rain

by 3:30 it had all changed
slight chance turned to you betcha

not enough time to tent

plan B was scratched

and we punted

we were moving it all inside

2 hours until show time

frantic stashing commenced

jars full of candied nuts, crammed into linen closets

antique match strikers in warming drawers
plants in the dishwasher
pots under the sink
sorry mom

we were punting

the
butler's pantry became a wine bar

the
kitchen island, five feet of antipasti
cocktail tables were moved into the foyer
the band relocated to the living room

space was at a premium
which meant the
brazilian bbq and pizza oven
remained outside
under a canopy of umbrellas


and then
an hour before the ceremony
and me in my grubbies
we hear from the priest

not coming
forgot
had the wrong date on the calendar
no show

duck
here come the locust
or was that just me
nervously humming

let me recap
no priest
no outdoor party
food
 120 people
and
a band
wedged
in the house

a happy 50th anniversary indeed


so here is what happened

i grabbed a bible
pulled some passages
wrote some intentions
found traditional vows via the internet
wrangled the grandchildren to be readers
ran a comb through my hair
put on some lipstick
and pretended
that this is exactly how it was supposed to be
i figured
if i didn't acknowledge it was a disaster
the guests would be too polite to mention anything

here is how i sold it
with a glass of champagne in my hand
and a smile on my face
and this conversation starter

isn't this just so italian
drinking great wine
eating in the kitchen
laughing with friends
cinzano!

here's the thing
when the last guest left
in the wee hours of the morning
i looked at my parents
and i thought
this WAS how it should be
this party
just like a long held marriage
did not come off without a hitch
but
left within its wake
echoes of joy

here's to the next 50
mom and dad
cin cin!

sea glass

my parents celebrated

50 years of marriage

on

 memorial day

this coming weekend

family and friends

are gathering at the shore

to

celebrate them

and 

the decades of their union

i have been working on this party for months

finishing the final flourish

this evening

edible sea glass

i promise

recipe and technique

to follow soon