So originally this was designed to be the second post in my Love <3 Gratitude series, but since I'm patiently awaiting a photograph of my precious nephew, I suppose the furbabies will have to come first.  And I'm ok with that.  :)  The are MY babies, after all.

So this sweet furry love came to me when TMV moved to pursue his doctoral degree.  I was desperately lonely despite all of the wonderful humans I had surrounding me.  Sometimes the only way to fill your partner's void is to fill it with a warm fuzzy that doesn't (verbally) have an opinion (because she's otherwise very full of them!).

So this Valentines day I am full of love for my Daphnie.  She answers to: Daphnie, Daphnie Cat, Doodle, and Mrroowwww (specifically late at night when she can't figure out where everyone has gone), and who has shown me grace (and where to pet her) in some of my lowest times.

I am also full of love and gratitude for the place in my heart this wooly little bear.  She came to us when TMV's musical travels left me lonely and fearful in our beautiful little home.  We decided it was time for something snuggily and equally scary (she's 35 lbs and sounds like she's 110lbs) for those snowy winter days that allowed the hoodlums linger too long in our yard.

Since coming to us she's taught me patience, shown me undying optimism and love (because the sound of the treat bag is awesome and increases doggy love), and has completely stolen my heart against any other breed in the world.  While she may not be perfectly house broken (at age 6...apparently it's a breed thing....) and LOVES to snack on kitty litter she is always the first one to greet me upon my arrival to our (Saphira protected) beautiful home.

This Valentines Day I am full of love and gratitude for my Saphira, who also goes by: Saphira-Face (thank you Haleigh...), STOP IT!, lay down, Foozle, and Little Bear.

{apologies for the blur.  she was VERY excited about the snow!}

So my sweet furbabies, I am grateful for all of the lessons you have taught me and moments that you have seen past my humanity to love me with every little furry fiber of your beings.  You are equally loved in return.

Love, 

the mammah.

The Great Prep

-Warning: story time first, then regularly scheduled message towards the end.  But you should read all of it, because it's worth it!!-

Growing up I always admired my mother's cooking style.  True southern comfort, always served with a side salad.  Some of my childhood favorites were/are pot roast, shake and bake chicken with mashed potatoes, her fresh made chicken soup, and those oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  To this day those are my favorite cookie.  Now my Mema -she made killer chicken and dumplings, chicken pot pie, and both women make killer biscuits.  Mmmmm!!!  My mouth is watering at those biscuits....  *sigh*  Growing up my sister and I were invited into the kitchen where we learned various methods of chopping, sautéing, and baking.  One of the skills I, in particular, didn't learn was recipe reading.  It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that people cooked with recipe's!  WHAT?  My world was shattered....  MOM!  How could you?!?!?

No -just kidding.  But it really was a shock.  Because I went from being directed in the ingredient inclusion (ok -now we need 1/4 brown sugar from that shelf right there) to being completely flabbergasted that I didn't know how to make my beloved cookies I had to work my way through developing my own prep style.

So the transition began.  Each time I returned home for a holiday or mini-vacation (because we all know that musicians only take working vacations...it's true.  Don't be ashamed!) I was sent out of the kitchen!!!  WHY?!?  Besides the fact that it was embarrassing, I didn't understand that my foody transition had happened and was throwing off their game.  I looked on as my mother and sister co-habitated the kitchen, moving like clockwork doing their thing -walking to and from the ingredient locations almost silently, getting what their minds told them they needed from the various shelves and pantry.  While they used recipes, they didn't really.  It was mostly just to remind them of that random spice, or that 1/4 tsp of whatever.

Since they didn't need me I practiced.  Trumpet is a good sound track for cooking.  Trust me.  ;)

Recently my sister was on bed-rest (did I mention that I have a cute nephew??  His cheeks kill me!!!  So cute!) my mother and I made the short hike down to visit her.  Not just to cheer her up (because GIRL TIME is THE BEST TIME!!!), but to also stock her freezer so that she wouldn't have to stress over food and a new baby.  BEST IDEA EVER.  I'm never giving diapers again.  I'm just going to stock your freezer.  You're welcome.

So I'm in the kitchen with my mother, and she's making a mess!  Mommah -you know I love you, but this is SO true!  She's got everything piled high on the counter and is digging into her first recipe.  I'm starting to hyperventilate.

Pause -I'm not OCD and am just a tiny bit of an organization freak but I was truly struggling in this moment. -ok -GO!

She started looking on her recipe list as I frantically put pastas with pastas, sauces with sauces, spices with spices, and meats with meats.  Sorting was my only hope of personal survival, and you're welcome because as things really started cooking I was the only one who knew where everything was.

It was during that moment of sorting panic when I realized how different my cooking prep was as an adult than as a child.  I can think back to any number of cooking experiences and one of the first memory flashes that pops up are the MESSES we made.  Not sure if it was me or my loving sister that made them, but everything was always a mess.  A fun, awesome, blessedly hot togetherness mess.  My childhood rocked, y'all!  Standing in my sister's beautiful new kitchen, everything was a hot mess.  I was a hot mess.

I ran around wiping down counters and washing pots and pans, and cutting and prepping veggies and measuring out spices all while my mother asked me what the heck I was doing.

It has officially happened.  I AM one of those people who, while in the kitchen, prefers to have everything ready to go into the ___ (mixer, pot, casserole, crockpot, etc) before the cooking/baking adventure begins.  And I AM that person that will hand wash all excess dish clutter in between projects (like the baking phase and the frosting phase).  And I AM that person that told her mother that she was going to lose it if there wasn't a clean pot ready for the next freezer meal (just in case you were worried, she says she still loves me).

I also happen to be the person, because of this prep obsession, that manages to use practically every bowl in the house to enable my calm cooking atmosphere.  *shrug*  It could be way worse!  My next prep step that needs work is execution.  I frequently get SO incredibly excited about the current project that I misread or forget to read recipe instructions.  Or drop fully loaded cake pans on the floor....  Proud.  I'm so proud.

Thank goodness no one's perfect!  I'd love to hear how y'all prep for food projects!  Also -I'd love to hear that I'm not alone.  Which is mostly why I'd like you to tell me how you prepare!  Leave me a message, or write a post on it, and let me know!  Who knows -you may have a better way, and I'm always looking for new ways and things!!!

Happy cooking!
-XO-
ME!

Taking Space and Making Cakes!

It just dawned on me that my quick start blogging had taken a bit of a hiatus.  How shocking!  Heh.  Frequently, in the world of social media, I think we (and I say we because it makes me feel better about my social media obsession) as a society feel the pull to constantly be in contact with everyone, via every social media tool, every minute of the day.  That sometimes if we don't express something -good or bad, that we'll just explode.  I'm sorry.  I don't really care to continue along that path.  It's overwhelming.

One of my new favorite bloggers, Beauty That Moves, posted not too long ago about how she's trimming the iPhone fat.  She has been successful, and I greatly admire that.  Seeing as I do basically everything on my iPhone I think it's time to do that too.  The exceptions being, of course, when I'm using it to cook...and talk to my women...and...take pictures...and....update my blog....  UGH!  *face palm*  I will overcome the urge.  

{Picture 1}

Anyway, I'm trying to take space for myself.  Through, as you already know, cooking/baking, yoga (I totally fell over today...scared the dog...heh), and tea-time-meditation.  It's working!  I am continuously shocked by how wonderful that space and silence is.  No TV, no iPhone, no radio.  Just pure unfiltered silence.  *swoon*  If you're not into silence, you should try it.  Seriously -a musician is telling you to try silence...?  Must mean it's good.  Just sayin'....

*cough*

Philosophy stint over.  Now -on to the food!

Tis' the season for birthdays!  I LOVE birthdays!  Mine is a particular favorite, but coming in a VERY close second is TMV's, which was just last week.  He had multiple celebrations, but I only made one cake.  One FABULOUS cake.  *swoon*  It was this precious little tasty in picture 1.  Spice cake.  

This has been one of the most gratifying baking projects thus far.  Not because it was for TMV, which is definitely a bonus, but because it was a hot mess.  Yes.  A hot baking mess.  I managed to plan ahead (a HUGE accomplishment for me -short attention span + plus large project = recipe for disaster...anyway...) and create something that was spectacularly edible.  I'm still at that, "yay it's edible phase" even though I've been majorly successful.  Thank ya', Geezus!

Right...I digress...distractions...

{Picture 2, of Shame}

So, in the process of this cakey goodness I managed to do this...Picture 2 (see how I made it small?  It's because it's a picture of shame...)!  I got SO excited by it's aroma that I dropped an entire cake pan on the floor.  GAH!  Of course after I panicked, I rescued what was left in the pan and managed to only have to scrub my mat for 10 minutes (there was crisco in that cake mix....*sigh*).  Don't worry -I didn't feed anyone icky-mat-cat-haired-cake batter...except the cat.  Who, despite her plumpness, is quite fast.  She didn't mind the cat hair.....

All's well that ends well because the cake turned out beautiful AND tasty!  I learned a little about my own rhythm, which has helped me SO much.  If you haven't found your prep rhythm you should do it.  It's amazingly helpful.  And totally came through in this production.  I'll write about that next, since I think it's interesting to watch others prep and execute!

So -the good stuff.  You've been been so patient, so I'll get on with it.  :)  This recipe is from Pinterest, from a blog called Portuguese Girl Cooks, from a cook book.  It's a long string of locations, but I managed to make it just as wonderful with a few adaptations of my own.

Here she is, folks:

Holiday Spice Cake with Eggnog Buttercream

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: One 8-inch 3 layer round cake

A rich and moist gingerbread spice cake filled and frosted with an old fashioned eggnog buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

For the Spice Cake
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, plus 3 large egg whites at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups ice cold water
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
For the Eggnog Buttercream
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cool but not cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

For the Spice Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans with butter, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and molasses. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and shortening on medium high speed until creamy and well combined, about 3 minutes. Add in the sugar, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in the vanilla, and the whole egg, beating until just combined.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half of the water, then 1/2 of the remaining flour, then the water, and ending with the remaining flour. Scrape down the bowl, and turn the mixer to medium for a few seconds to ensure all the components are well combined. Be sure not to over mix. Add in the cinnamon molasses mixture, and mix on low speed to combine.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 egg whites and cream of tarter until soft peaks form. You can simply do this by hand with a whisk. It takes a little bit of elbow grease, but it only takes about 3 to 5 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter by hand.
7. Divide the batter among the three pans, and smooth the tops. The batter may look a little bit separated. I like to weigh my batter into the pans to ensure even cake layers. Bake the layers for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and allow them to cool in the pans for about 20 minutes. Then turn them out and remove the parchment to cool completely.
For the Eggnog Buttercream
8. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar and flour. Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream. Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture has come to a boil and has thickened. I find it helpful to switch to a heatproof spatula halfway through to be able to reach the edges of the pot. Remove the pan from the heat, and strain the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
9. Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture on high speed until it is cool, about 10 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and add all the butter. Increase the speed to medium high, and beat until all the butter is combined and the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. It may not look right at first, but keep beating it, it will come together.
10. Add in the rum, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix until throughly combined. Add in about 1 heaping teaspoon of lustre dust if using and combine. If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate it for about 15 minutes, then beat again until light and fluffy.
Assembly
11. Place 1 cake layer on a plate, then top with about 1 1/2 cups of frosting and smooth it to create an even layer. Repeat for 2nd and 3rd layer. Apply a thin layer of frosting to the outside of the cake to create a crumb coat. Refrigerate the cake to allow the crumb coat to set for about 10 minutes. Remove from the fridge and apply another layer of frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
12. To create the look in the photos. Try to smooth the top and sides as best you can. I like to use a small offset spatula to fill and frost the cake. Then, use a bench scraper to smooth the sides, then the small offset spatula to smooth the top. This doesn't have to be perfect.
13. Using a large angled spatula, starting at the bottom, apply slight even pressure to spatula against the cake, and turn the cake to create a slight indentation. Do this all the way up to the top of the cake. For the top, start at the outside of the cake, and work your way in without stopping the motion to create a swirl pattern. I find using a turntable is the best way to do this.
14. Sprinkle the top of the cake with some sprinkles or nonpareils of your choice, or leave it plain.

Notes

This cake will keep at room temperature covered for up to 3 days. I like to cover all my cakes with a cake dome. Otherwise, cover tightly and keep refrigerate for up to 2 days, allowing the cake to come to room temperature before serving.

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I found that her instructions yielded a wonderful product, and that she's much better at following and creating directions than I am.  So here are a few of my own notes:

1. Follow her directions.  

2. I used two 9" rounds because that's my preference.  My cakes only required 3 more minutes of cooking time, but that's probably because there was less batter due to the dropping....

3. I used two tbs of pumpkin pie spice instead of what is listed.  My cake eaters had specific preferences, so I evened the playing field a little, exception being cinnamon.  I added cinnamon additionally.

4. I am NOT ocd, and don't really care how much frosting you get in between each layer.  So just be smart, ok?  Don't let yourself run out. 

5.  Be creative!!  Yes -her cake is beautiful but yours doesn't have to look exactly like hers or like mine.  Be your own version of cakey-awesomeness, ok?

Now -go out there and cook!  I'll be back soon with a food-prep post for your enjoyment.

-XO-

ME!

Cinnamon, Swirled

I've been doing quite a bit of bread making lately!  I've been making a this great recipe for our every day consumption and have been branching out into new breads too.  I've even made some tortillas!!  YES!  While they need a little bit of perfecting (ok -let's be honest...a LOT of perfecting...), I think that I've found a winner with another new find.  Cinnamon Swirl Bread.  I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking: psh -who DOESN'T know how to make cinnamon swirl bread (because it was really quite easy)?

Right?  Did I hear correctly?  If you didn't think that, then maybe you're thinking that you'd like to eat some?  That you'd like to make some RIGHT this second (because it's that easy and even better -it tastes spectacular)?

Don't worry -I've gatcha covered.

I used a fabulous recipe from this fine lady's blog!  The Pioneer Woman.  Anyone know her?  heh -I don't know her either, but if I idolized humans, she'd be my idol!  *cough*  Anyway.  Of course the one she made looks beautiful (You should go see her finished version.  It's quite a bit prettier than mine ended up being), and the recipe tastes even better than it looks.

Here it is, folks (copied from her published posed):

Recipe

Homemade Cinnamon Bread

Prep Time:

 4 Hours

 

Cook Time:

 40 Minutes

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

12

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 3-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
• Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Preparation Instructions

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don't boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it's warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you're going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve, or make cinnamon toast or French toast with it.

Yummy!

So I did as instructed by the ever wonderful Pioneer Woman.  Mostly, it went as I expected.  I made some changes like making it into 2 loaves (because there was SO much dough), added different types of flour (like rye so it'd be a little heartier for a different project), and went a little easy on the cinnamon.  *sigh*  Ok -so maaaayyybeee I ran out of cinnamon because I have a tendency to "forget" to plan ahead....  *cough*  I also used extra butter on the inside of the roll.  Paula Dean would be so proud!

As I pulled it out of the oven I was graced with the most beautiful smell.  Yeasty, cinnamony, and fresh.

I couldn't wait to try some.

I burned my tongue.

Stop laughing.

It was really spectacular!  The loaf lasted all week without getting stiff and stale!  The second loaf I made was to go with a crock-pot french toast project that just was embarrassing.  Nothing like serving your in-laws burned food.  *sigh*  Good thing they love me for my sassiness and not my burned french toast....

I hope you get some enjoyment out of this recipe.  I'll definitely be making it again, and maybe even adding raisins!

Happy fooding!

Love,
Me!