A Dickens' Kitchen, Bubble & Squeak and Treacle Tart

One of my favorite authors is Charles Dickens. This hasn’t always been the case. I fell truly in love with his classics as I reread them with my kids as they were reading them for their English classes in Junior and High School. One of my sisters called a few weeks ago to see if I would be interested in teaching a class to a couple of students that are having a semester of home school English devoted to the novel, David Copperfield. I jumped at the chance to have a “Dickens’ Kitchen”.

One of the things I enjoy about Dickens’ writing is the high contrast between good and evil, happy and sad and in his description of food we can find the same thing, huge contrast. The very poor in his books live on a meager menu, even the description often comes off sounding gray and dull (think gruel here) in small portions. Where the well off seem to have an abundance of food dishes with color, variety and flavor (goose, chestnuts, puddings, raisins, etc).

In class we talked about the history of “plum pudding”, the process of how it is made and the interesting traditions that accompany this dish. I do have a recipe for a plum pudding (which has no plums in it), but it takes much effort to make they way they would have made it in 1835. It is interesting to note that in England, at least at one time there was an official day called “Stir-Up Day” on which Christmas puddings are made. Each person in the family would take a turn stirring in a clockwise direction, with eyes shut while making a secret wish. Silver charms were also traditionally used in the pudding. The baker would place them in before the steaming process later to be found by the guests. The charms were of a variety of shapes and gave a specific message for the future. A thimble might mean spinsterhood, a silver sixpence a good fortune, a boot for travel, a ring for an impending marriage, the wishbone for granting of one wish, etc. I would love to get my hands on a vintage set of these charms, I find them well, charming.

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The fun part of class was making and eating the food that might have been eaten during Charles Dickens time period, Bubble & Squeak and Treacle Tart. Bubble and Squeak is an old dish that is made from leftover potatoes, cabbage and meat. You can still get it today at local eateries and pubs (at least when I was in England a few years ago it was available). My students enjoyed the process of cooking and eating it, and of course it came together quickly. It could almost be described as “fast food”.

The Treacle Tart on the other hand is not fast, but it is tasty. I have been hearing about this dessert for sometime, but never had the pleasure of trying it until this class. I used a recipe from Emma of Poires Au Chocolat who had this tart growing up as a child. I followed her recipe exactly, using Golden Syrup as suggested (found at a local market, a bit pricey but worth every cent). It was delightful and the clotted cream on ours was made from 3 parts mascarpone cheese, 2 parts whipping cream, a bit of vanilla extract and powder sugar to taste. It got wonderful reviews from all who tried it, including my fabulous students.

If you want to step back into time, try one of these recipes while picking up your favorite Charles Dickens novel up. Which book is your favorite?

Confessions about Canning Peaches and A Peach Cobbler

My mother grew up next to some of our states best peach orchards and because of that I never knew what a tin can of peaches tasted like until I was well into my 30’s. Every summer while I was growing up there were several days set aside for canning the beautiful homegrown fruit and of course making things like peach ice cream, peach cobbler and peach pie.

Somewhere along the line I fell out of the peach canning tradition. If my memory is correct it seems like someone in my family told me that they preferred peaches canned from the store and that was all it took for me to give it up. I was busy and clearly too easily swayed. Home canned peaches are superior anyway you toss the dice.

I’ve been canning peaches this week. It does take some effort, but it’s quite enjoyable. The music was turned up and I loved the smell of the peaches on the stove. I took a refresher course from Frieda, who is a whizz at canning. My simple syrup was made from 8 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar.

With a few peaches I made a cobbler that is delicious. I found the recipe on Jamie’s blog. The lemon zest just sent this over the edge and the biscuit was very tender. I recommend it highly.

If you have been thinking of canning peaches, just take a stab at it. You’ll thank yourself every time you open up a jar.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Gone Healthy, Coconut Oil Magic Ingredient

Coconut oil. I’ve been using it in a variety baked goods and other cooking because I've been convinced of the health benefits that have been brought to the foreground in the last several years. It isn’t a new fad, it has been a staple in countries where coconuts are naturally available, but for those of us who don’t have a coconut tree in our backyard, we may have come late to the party. This article lists some of the beneficial reasons to at least consider looking into coconut oil. It has a very long shelf life which I also find apealing. One down side is the cost.

When I’ve replaced coconut oil in my baked goods it has been at a ratio of 2/3 of the amount of oil or butter that the recipe originally called for and things have worked out amazingly well. I’ve had great success with quick breads, cakes, and now cookies. It’s also wonderful on top of rice . . . actually heavenly. When I can use coconut oil instead of butter or another oil I do.

This cookie recipe is one that I altered from a favorite recipe I’ve been using for years. While I was making them my husband said “I hope these aren’t going to be healthy cookies” and later he had no trouble downing two or three of these gems as part of his evening snack. I am pleased with the outcome on two fronts. They have a wonderful flavor and crunch and somewhat healthier than the original version.

If you are looking around for a way to make your cooking a little healthier, look into coconut oil. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic and if you've had success with coconut oil.

Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup and a Multitude of Ideas of How to Use It

One of my favorite things to have on hand is my bottle of Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup. I keep it in a squeeze bottle in the side door of my refrigerator and you’d be amazed at how often I put it out.It’s so simple to make and the flavor is a power punch that can send a simple meal into the extra special category.

So how do I use this deliciousness in a bottle?

· A flat bread with feta cheese, dried tomatoes and olives with just a drizzle of Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup to finish it off.

· Strawberry Crepes with powdered sugar with an aioli on the plate of Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup.

· Dress simple greens with some crunchy croutons and garden vegetables

· Drizzle it over pork chops and you have a perfect finishing sauce

How about an appetizer made up of cubes of fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, your choice of black or green olives threaded on a skewers, drizzle Balsamic-Rosemary Syrup on top, just before serving sprinkle some chiffonade basil on top and add another few additional drops of the syrup. Your guests will love you for it. I served it at this memorable event.

Do you have a delicious sauce that is your favorite multi-tasker?

If you haven't had a chance to check out my give-away, take a minute to look at the great cookbook with Melissa Peck's beautiful artwork. I think you'll fall in love, I did.

MacTweets #8, A Tiny Friend in a Kauai Adventure & Coconut Cream with Chocolate Ganache Macarons

My view of adventure mac's is off from the formal assignment, but for my life has some real adventure. While in Kauai a short time ago we went on a kayaking and hiking discovery through the jungle to find a beautiful waterfall. While on the way the guide told us to watch for wildlife along the way (as well as movie and LOST shoot sites). I did keep my eyes peeled for wildlife, but when the day long adventure was done the only land animal I had found was this beautiful little guy- a gecko. He paused long enough for me to take a picture of him. Look at all the colors he is sporting!
In honor of my friend that's spotted green, white with dark brown eyes my mac’s are coconut cream & chocolate ganache in an almond shell. I used Ottolenghi Macaron recipe, baked them for 11 minutes on an air cushioned pan and they have the perfect crust on the outside and a soft middle. The light green coloring makes them look a bit over done, but in realitiy they are my best effort to date. Tasty little critters.

Check out the line up ON THE WILD SIDE, MacTweets.

Photo Credit for top picture: CodeFin

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars--- What a COOKIE BAR!!

Mary of Delightful Bitefuls, posted these wonderful looking Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars from the book by Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours and I'm ever so glad she did. After making them and taking my first bite, I knew that I was in trouble. The kind of trouble that makes you need to cut all the bars up and rush them out the door to neighbors and friends or you'll eat every last bar yourself. This truly is likely the best cookie bar I've had in the last year or maybe two. Make some yourself and see what I'm talking about. They would be perfect for a picnic, or to travel with, or to take to a baseball game, or a church group or a whatever. . . really.

This recipe was originally on the web with a Tuesday's with Dorie challenge. You can view the original recipe here. My changes to the recipe made it less sweet, but as I paged through many other variations you can add any number of goodies to this recipe to make it fit your taste buds. My version of the recipe is below.

Do you have a favorite cookie bar?

Simple as Pie? Confessions of a Pie Maker and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

How many times have you heard “Simple as Pie”? Well don’t believe that sentiment. Pie isn’t really simple. It isn’t hard, but it requires a few pieces of information that can be learned and from my experience practice is the best teacher. So why would someone like me who has honed a recipe for pastry try a new one?? I’ll tell you why. I went to a demonstration with some dear friends and several Utah food bloggers (Tiff, Barbara, Becky, Bonnie, Maria) to see King Arthur Flour give us the one two on how to make a great pie crust. Determined to give their recipe the good old-fashioned try I’ve now used it three times and well frankly I just can’t make it work to my satisfaction. Darn.

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Yesterday it was a special pie and I should have used all tried and true recipes for the birthday occasion, but I choose poorly on both the filling and the crust. It looked beautiful but the flavor and texture was poor.

Now I share with you my tried and true recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie. Amy, thank you for sharing it with me. It's wonderful!

Life Lesson: Practice new recipes on less important events.

(Oh, I hope I can remember this lesson- do you have any life lessons to share?)

Lemon Bars, Summertime has Begun!

While I was growing up I was lucky to have family gatherings that brought me together with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. It started with Memorial Day and ended with Labor Day—a summer of family. Of course as a child you took many things for granted and good food was one of them. One dessert however everyone remembers as being extra tasty, Aunt Donna’s Lemon Bars. And now I share it with you. I’ve used this recipe over the years and it’s never failed me.

One pointer that I would pass along that is very important is pan size. Don’t fudge on the size of the pan. If you double the recipe, which I do often, use a pan with exactly the same amount of square inches. It matters. I call mine the double wide-- it is really a large lasagna pan, but it has exactly the same measurements as two 9 x 13 inch pans would have. The bonus of using an extra large pan is as you cut the bars you don't loose any edges, you get more bars and more of all the wonderful yummy goodness to share! And while we're talking about pans this is my favorite 9 x 13 from Williams-Sonoma (the squares always turn out SQUARE). You can make these lemon bars in less than an hour from start to finish, but they do need some cooling time before you cut them.

The biggest problem you will have after you’ve made these addictive tangy tidbits is sharing them quickly so that you don’t have them calling your name every five minutes!

What is your favorite family summer recipe?

Aloha Cake

One night I got a call from one of my daughters asking me to come over to her house for a minute. When I got there she had a piece of cake waiting for me that was out of this world delicious. It was a coconut four-layer cake with lime curd filling and a frosting made with coconut milk. Oh it was good. Ever since then I’ve had coconut cake on the brain. I’ve made my own version now that started from Dorie Greenspan's Coconut Tea Cake. I must admit it wasn’t quite as good as the original cake with the lime curd but it has it’s own flare and those that tried it said it should be put on the blog. It was very moist and it did get better as it matured. I would hold this cake tightly wrapped a day before frosting.

This would make a lovely Mother’s Day dessert. What will you be serving for dessert on Mother's day?

Chocolate Cupcakes with Alyssa

National holidays are wonderful, especially when it means you get to spend time with someone you love. My niece was with our family this weekend taking a break from her university studies and we had long visits, watched a few Olympic events and generally just relished being together.

Of course we made a little treat, one of our family favorite cakes. This chocolate cake is an absolutely wonderful standard go to kind of cake. Birthday, graduation, all most any kind of celebration or for some simple President's Day Cup Cakes- I've never been disapointed when I've used this recipe.

Alyssa took the beautiful pictures of these delicious treats and we rushed to get her back to school. We packed some of the cupcakes in a cupcake tin with rice scooped in the bottom so that they would make the ride home safely without getting the decor damaged. A little trick I learned from Jenny of Simple Life Love.

Mac-A-Valentine

A macaron or French macaroon is a confectionery whose name is derived from an Italian word “maccarone” meaning paste. It is meringue-based: made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and both granulated and confectionery sugar.

The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference, and flat base. Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior. The French macaroon differs from other macaroons in that it is filled with cream or butter like a sandwich cookie, and can be found in a wider variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry, chocolate) to the exotic (foie gras, truffle). Making macarons requires a great deal of discipline and is a process that is highly dependent on exactitude, technique, and proper equipment. For this reason it is a notoriously difficult recipe to master and a frustrating endeavor for the amateur baker. (from Wikipedia)

I never actually had a real French Macaroon before until a few weeks ago. After stalking several local bakeries I found some beauties located at Les Medeleines . Before I had another failure in the kitchen I had determined that I would actually try one so that I would know for certain what I was trying to make. Well, to be honest I didn't need to go to any bakeries because the very best bakers turned out to be Barbara of BarbaraBakes and Tiff of FoodFinery who showed me exactly how to make these "notoriously difficult" cookies. Please visit their blogs for bounties of ideas on many things including French Macaroons!

This is what I learned:

• add flavoring and coloring before beating egg whites
• beat egg whites until peakes stand up and will NOT BEND OVER (much longer than I had done previously)
• stir in almond flour that is premeasured, and then test to see if the batter is correct thickness- it shouldn't be to thin or to thick (here is where the tricky part comes in)
• standing time didn't make too much difference in our altitude and climate
• bake at 280 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until shell is set

If you would like the recipe we used go to Deeba's wonderful blog,

Passionate About Baking.

I am in a wonderful group of the most creative and experienced French Macaroon bakers (Mac Tweets), take a moment to check out their blogs to see what great Valentine Mac's they have created to celebrate this lovely holiday. Many thanks to Jamie and Deeba for all their work!!

I am just wrapping up my first give away, a great pagkage of REAL SALT, this is the last chance you have to leave a message on a favorite local place you love! Next week I'll annouce a winner.

Easy Bake Oven or Message in a Cookie, Anything you Call it-it's a Winner!

Another meeting of the breakfast club was held, this time it was in the evening. Strange, I know -- a Breakfast Club in the evening, but we weren't making breakfast this time, but cookies. At one point someone suggested it felt a little like an "easy bake oven" experience. I think that might be due to the bright colored cookie dough or the alphabet letters you use to make any message you can think of to imprint in your star, heart or stamp shaped cookie. I picked this kit up at Williams-Sonoma for $20 and I do think we'll get our money's worth. Envision custom cookies for birthday, graduation, baby shower, wedding shower, bake sale, the welcome wagon, the list is endless!

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What we learned:

• We used the recipe provided in the box and BRIGHT colored dough works out best
• Changing the message takes time, sticking to one message would make a quicker process
• Cold dough is a must for baking (no cheating on the chill time, 20 minutes at least)
• Small tips for decorating come in handy
• Plan on taking a longer time than usual for cutout cookies, but it's worth it

For another way to use the Message in a Cookie go here, to my friend Chris' blog. She is so creative-- scroll down to the end of the post--- it's more than worth it!!

Christmas Eve Pie Tradition with Grandma & the Best Pastry Dough

Christmas traditions! I love to keep the old while making new ones. Growing up as a child and into adulthood my family without fail gathered together in a beautiful farming community, at my grandparents home to celebrate Christmas Eve. Part of the celebration always included the most delectable pies made by my dear Grandma, Iola.

Pie makers aren’t born, it takes practice-- and practice is what Grandma got at Cafe 91 found along the old Highway 91 in Spanish Fork, Utah. During the mid 1940’s she was famous for having pies ready for lunch or dinner depending on when her shift fell. Retired men from surrounding towns would gather for a cup of coffee and a 35 cent piece of Iola’s flaky pie. She made apple, cherry, peach, lemon meringue, pumpkin and cream pies- oh, they were something else, banana and coconut.

Grandma has left us now, but her tradition lives on. She has daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters and at least one great grandson that can make pies that would win blue ribbons at the state fair and put on more pounds than we care to think about right now. My extended family can count on a few pies being made this holiday season from the desendants of Grandma Iola.

If a pie is in your future, you might want to try this fabulous pastry crust. It has proven it’s value to me over the years. Sometimes it’s nice to have a variation in pies, so think about a crumbly top pie with a twist of cinnamon and nutmeg in the topping. It’s especially nice for beginners to pie making because you don’t have to worry about how the top is going to look.

Wishing you happy baking and many wonderful

Christmas traditions.

What are your Christmas Eve traditions?

Mac Attack, Making Real Macaroons is a Baker's Challange!

A while ago I accepted the challenge to make the most beautiful cookies, real French macaroons. I have never actually tasted or seen a real macaron, but I have looked at some beautiful ones from some fabulous bakers. I've followed their tweets, and blogs and been amazed at their results and unfortunately not taken the time to make my own until this weekend. . .

I'm not sure if I should take the stance of "3 strikes and you're out", or "try, try again" but after my last three experiences making them my level of respect for all the bakers who have succeeded has risen to enormous proprotions. There is something very tricky about making these cute little cookies.

I have learned:

1. If you leave the egg whites out overnight, make sure the temperature is actually warmer on the counter than in the fridge (I live in Salt Lake and it's winter presently- when I got up to make my Mac's my egg whites were colder than if I had left them in the fridge). I warmed the next batches of egg whites in warm water just before I used them.

2. Blanch your almonds the night before so they dry out completely before you blitz them into powder. Do plenty of extra almonds for repeated batches.

3. Enjoy the mistakes. The first batch I made were complelely flat discs. Most of them got eaten. I made the second batch into an almond brownie. When I could see that the consistancy wasn't going to work I greased and floured little tart pans, and made brownies. They were actually not bad. They got eaten before I could take a picture.

4. Don't tell everyone that you didn't get your feet. My husband thought that the macaroons looked and tasted great (and he's even had the real deal). He ate them with delight, not knowing they were missing their feet.

So, I'm done with my macaroon experience for 2009, and yes it did give me an ATTACK . . . but I'll be back in 2210. My mac's were made from Barbara's recipe, Chocolate Macaroon's from Vino Luci Style and my filling was a delicious Italian Vanilla Butter Cream.

Please visit some of my favorite bloggers so see what a real macaroon looks like! BarbaraBakes , foodfinery, From Donuts To Delirium: My Life As A Housewife, Vino Luci Style, Passionate About Baking , Life's A Feast, and go here to visit the site of all the bloggers who joined the challenge.

Holiday Cookie Exchange & Cherry Chocolate Crisps

You know you've hit the jackpot when you get invited to a cookie exchange with a select group of food bloggers -- and I won the golden ticket last Saturday! We met at the Wild Grape for brunch which was delicious- beignets with chocolate sauce and divine orange relish to start, followed with two dishes that I split with my daugher (tip: try to possition you self next to someone you can order a meal with that will let you share the meal- that way you can both try two things-- or just order one meal and a starter, great way to experience a little more while eating out). It was all very beautifully presented and I heard nothing but complements about the food and staff from those at the table.

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The cookies. You would have thought it was a new baby or something the way these women swarmed around the table set up with all our tasty tidbits set out. Snapping pictures and oohing and ahhing- we were quite the spectical. But honestly, these cookies are really something to get excited about. Check out the individual blogs for recipes (official names for their cookies) and bake up a storm.

Maria, TwoPeasandTheirPod - Chocolate Peppermint cookie

Holly, PheMomenon- Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie

Tiff, FoodFinery- Shortbread with Cranberries and Green Pepitas

Candace, A Little Blog- Sweet & Salty Chocolte Chip cookies

Christina, Mele Cotte - Delightful little tart

Becky, Vintage Mixer- Ginger Cream cookie

Dara, Cookin' Canuck- Almond Meringue cookie

Barbara, BarbaraBakes- Pecan Squares

Kalyn, Kalyn's Kitchen- Advice and Wisdom (no calories attached)

The cookie I took is a variation of a recipe from a dear friend, Kimber. A sugar cookie from her Grandmother, Ruth. I have been wanting to make something with cherries, almond and chocolate and this seemed like a great time to blend the three together. I was pleased with how the recipe turned out and hope my fellow food bloggers like it as well. It is a crisp cookie with a wonderful chocolate filling and the after taste leaves you feeling like you want more.

Many thanks to Holly, for setting the cookie exchange up. Please visit the Utah Hive for more details of this and more events.

Hoping you have a cookie exhange in your holiday plans, happy holiday baking!

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies with CONNIE

Some days are just made for making cookies and today was one of those days for me and my niece. Connie and I made the Pioneer Woman's holiday Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies in between telling a few stories and getting caught up on each others lives. The cookies are beautiful and ever so tasty, a wonderful chocolate shortbread! We both recommend them to you. I suggest spending a delightful day in the kitchen as soon as you can with someone you love as much as I love Connie. Somehow creating together in a kitchen bonds you just like white chocolate sticks to chocolate cookies and candy canes!

We did make our cookies a little different from the original recipe. To cut the time down, we put the dough in the freezer for 1/2 of an hour and it made quick work of chilling the dough. Instead of rolling the cookies into balls, we chose to roll the dough out and cut it with a cute cutter. Our version of the recipe is below.

Pocket Pies for the Breakfast Club

Saturday morning was an escapade of The Breakfast Club. We met to make hand held pies, or pocket pies as Williams-Sonoma has chosen to market them. Because it was for breakfast, we wanted to have a filling that would be conducive to that time of day. We ended up with a savory filling of eggs, potatoes, veggies and cheeses that was a knock out. And for the sweet tooth we made some simple ones out of homemade raspberry and peach jam (we didn't have any trouble giving those away either). All in all we had a great time being together and learning how to use these wonderful little tools. You would not need to have the gadgets that we used, it would be very easy to use a large cookie cutter and go through the same process. The video on the Williams-Sonoma sight is helpful to watch before you make these pies, with or without theirpocket pie molds.

On Sunday I tried my hand a second time at these cute little pies with a jar of pre-made homemade apple pie filling (recipe coming later). It was a one pint jar and I made 8 pies with 1/2 of a recipe of pastry dough. They turned out quite nice and having done the hand held pies twice now I have learned a few things.

1. The pastry dough should be rolled out thin, as thin as possible ( you are getting more than a regular amount of pastry in these little pies, so thin is a good idea unless you have double the time to spend at the gym).
2. Putting the egg wash around the edge of the inside of the pie to seal the two pieces is pretty much mandatory in keeping them together if you want the filling inside the pie.
3. Fillings should be cut into tiny pieces.
4. Brushing the egg wash on top should be put on the center of the pie, but not necessarily on the crimped edge (it gets a little over done).
5. These hand held pies are somewhat time consuming to make, plan on more time than you would to make a regular pie or playing the Tom Sawyer game and gathering others around you to help.

One addition to the recipe for these Veggie Cheese Scrambles- we did cook the shredded potatoes and asparagus in a frying pan with some olive oil for a few minutes before we mixed them in with the other ingredients. This allowed the pies to cook quickly in the oven.

Let me know if you try making these cute little babies and how they turn out for you!