If you're looking for a basic cake recipe to use with fruits of the season, this is it. The original "Boy Bait" cake is moist, flavorful and works well with any fruit you chose to incorporate. Today, I had some fresh sweet cherries on hand. I made some changes to the original recipe and used all brown sugar and topped the cake with a crumb topping made of oats, nuts and cinnamon. I was pleased with how the cherry variation turned out and have been fantasizing about trying it with chunks of peaches the next time around.
These rolls are time consuming no doubt about it. So bake them for those who are worth the time and effort. You will be rewarded with their appreciation and admiration ...or that's the way it plays in my head anyway.
Don't let the amount of time needed deter you from trying the recipe. Most of it is spent waiting for the rolls to rise. And you know what I always say, you can't rush the rise, baby. The 3or 4 hours of waiting time could be spent tackling all those projects you've pinned. Or if you're like me, looking for blog posts to pin and not doing any actual crafting. I have every intention on tackling them one day. Really? Really.
Sorry for the lack of step by step photos. An enormous amount of coffee was consumed this morning which resulted in the jitters. I was unable to steady myself sufficiently for decent shots. It happens.
Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the catalytic event that prompted me to change my lifestyle and eating habits. 10 years ago I was a 21 year old college student and was at my heaviest at 168 pounds and a tight size 14. This may not sound like much, but on my 5'0 frame the extra weight was unforgiving.
Anyone who has ever started their own weight loss journey has that one trigger that made them lose the weight. Mine came in the form of an older lady, whom I had never met, who struck up a conversation with me at a local bookstore. She talked about her son and how he was single (and ready to mingle). She showed me his picture and said she would like for us to meet, but that "You need to lose weight first." Ouch. "At least 30 pounds." Really?!
Wanting to date this complete stranger's son was NOT what prompted me to lose weight, because honestly he looked like if Geico caveman had a baby with Screech Powers (Not medically possible, just trying to give you a visual). I was angry that someone thought I wasn't good enough because of my weight. So I challenged myself to take better care of my health and land myself a guy who was way hotter than caveman, Jr. Mature, right?
The first year I lost 45 pounds and the next year, another 20 lbs, giving me a healthier Body Mass Index for my height. There were three things that made the weight drop off. No magic pills or potions, just portion control, exercise and consistency.
It has been 10 years since starting the journey towards better health and I'm still on it. I've realized it doesn't end once the weight is off. The "maintenance" component is just as challenging as initially losing weight. Some days it's easy to make healthy choices and other days it's a struggle. I'm still learning to balance it all out.
Speaking of healthy choices, I want to share a healthy snack with you today. It only has 4, (Four. Cuatro. Apat. Quatre) ingredients and there is no cooking or baking involved. GASP!
I need a warning label that says, "Do not attempt interaction between the hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. OR until thoroughly caffeinated."
Which is why in this household, breakfast pastries are made and served at a decent hour...as dessert.
But these apple studded fritters were so quick and easy to make it had me channeling my inner, peppy, happy morning person to wake up early the next day and make again!
We should totally make these together at the ungodly hour of dawn. Are you with me?
I was thinking about you. Yes, you specifically. I just wanted to say thanks. Thank you for helping me see the bright side of things when all I wanted to see were the shadows. For helping me find my voice when I wanted to sink in the silence. For knowing me when I felt like a stranger to myself. For helping me realize that I am enough. Your encouraging words have helped me get through the past few weeks. From the roots of my soul...thank you <3
Can I interest you in something blueberry? These blueberry scones will melt in your mouth. (recipe below). Not what you're looking for? Check out these other recipes...
Secret number 11. Sometimes I wish I lived in a fictional town called Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, Canada. I wish I lived on a farm in Avonlea with lots of animals, wear pretty dresses with a corset underneath and pin my hair up. I want to be known throughout Avonlea for the excessive number of cherries in my pies, gossip with the ladies at the sewing circle, bake for the church bake sale and have hot tea and scones in the afternoons. I want to live like the characters on my favorite show Road to Avonlea (RTA). Is that weird? RTA has been off the air now for over ten years, but I'm able to relive every episode through my collection of DVDs...all seven seasons.
I've been watching it a lot lately. So much so that Mr. Incredible knows the names and relations of all the characters. I'm fairly confident he would be able to answer an RTA trivia question or two. This show has remained a favorite of mine because the acting is superb, it's heartwarming, and wholesome...which are the adjectives I would use to describe this cherry pie :) I hope you fit making it into your sssshedule.
Sweet Cherry Pie
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
dough for double-crust pie (recipe here)
4 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2 pounds unpitted)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (adjust this according to the sweetness of your cherries)
1/8 teaspoon salt
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Stir together the cherries, cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon and vanilla extract gently together in a large bowl. Roll out half of chilled dough on a floured work surface to 13-inch round. Gently place it in 9-inch pie pan, either by rolling it around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan or by folding it into quarters and unfolding it in the pan. Trim edges to a half-inch overhang.
Spoon filling into pie crust.
Roll out the remaining dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface, drape it over the filling, and trim it, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang under the bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it, and crimp the edge decoratively. Brush the egg wash over over pie crust.
Cut slits in the crust with a sharp knife, forming steam vents, and bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F. and bake the pie for 25 to 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden. Let the pie cool on a rack.
With work starting up again tomorrow, my summer and Lady of Leisure days have come to an end. This has been one of the more enjoyable summers. I celebrated my one year wedding anniversary with Mr. Incredible, I road tripped, gambled, spent time with my family, and did a whole lot of baking. Although I'm sad to see summer go, I look forward the cold fall season (even though that probably won't be until November in Texas), the holidays, and of course the baking that goes along with celebrating the holidays. So I bid farewell to my summer vacation with a bread full of flavors that remind me of summer...blueberries and lemons.
This bread is a variation on Flo Baker's Lemon Scented Pull Apart Coffee Cake. The name was a bit deceiving because it's not a cake or quick bread, but a yeasted sweet bread. The addition of blueberries complemented the vibrant, tangy lemon zest. Topped off with a sweetened cream cheese frosting, it reminded me of a lemony cinnamon roll in loaf form.
Your word is Aebleskiver.
Can I get the definition please? An Aebleskiver is a traditional Danish pancake in a distinctive shape of a sphere.
Can you use it in a sentence please? An Aebleskiver is a pancake puff that filled with jams and jellies.
The country of origin? Denmark.
A-bel-ski-ver. Did I pronounce it correctly? No. The correct pronunciation is A-blah-ski-wah.
A-blah-ski-wah. Are there any alternate pronunciations? No.
A-blah-ski-wah. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!
R-E-A-D-Y? ( You will need an aebleskiver pan and can purchase one here).
The best compliment I have ever gotten went something like "Oh wow. Aw (long pause). Aw man. It's like there's a party in my mouth!". It's definitely the most memorable compliment I've gotten on my goods. Ahem, baked goods. And it was that same thought I had when I took the first bite of strawberry cream cake. It's a mouth party. It has the basic assemblage of strawberries, whipped cream and sponge cake but what made this cake different was the addition of cream cheese in the whipped cream filling. This pairing worked out perfectly because the cream cheese gave the whipped cream more stability and was able to hold up better between the cake layers and strawberries. Cream Cheese + Whipped Cream = BFF's with a heart around it.
Strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry tartlets, strawberry smoothie, strawberry mousse, strawberry cream cake, strawberry muffins, strawberry, cupcakes, strawberry crepes, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry milkshake or strawberry tiramisu? So many delectable possibilities. What should I make?
Pipe down! He'll hear you...
Hey there, little guy. What?! No, I never! (deny everything) No, I wouldn't! Oh. You heard all that did you. Oh yeah? Well, your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries!
Good morning Sunday! Today was the last day I got to sleep in because, sadly, after a week long break, I have to go back to work tomorrow. I was in a blueberry mood and decided to whip up a batch of "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" off of the Allrecipes.com site. I had been meaning to try it for a while but hadn't gotten around to it until this morning. Better late than never.
I made a few adjustments to the recipe below. I doubled the recipe, except for the sugar. I only used 1 cup of sugar total. I added 2 teaspoons of vanilla and left off the crumb topping altogether. The end result was a tender muffin with nice texture.
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