I would like to say these were easy, but nothing is the first time, and I would like to say making these was so much fun, but perfectionism is stressful. Finding all the finicky detail items was hard because I live on an island and we don’t have a great source for baking accessories, though we do have a Michaels. I think some of my improving worked really well. Making the cake balls themselves was easy and delicious. I will make more of these for sure as they have such potential, and even though batch one was not “perfect” it was pretty good…I think =)

I really encourage others who are thinking of giving this a try to get up the gumption and just do it. My party guests really enjoyed them and I really did realize how much the effort counts.

My twenties brought the first bit of hope - juicing. I could tolerate some veggies in fresh juice, so I did that and then slowly but surely through tremendous trial and trepidation the next few years brought a few veggies into my life. Slowly spinach, peppers and mushrooms creeped onto my plate (prepared most especially by me, for me) I am less scared of public eating now as I can handle far more than I ever imagined I would but at the same time many veggies, particularly of the cruciferous variety seem like they may never be a part of my life and I am at peace with that. That was until a few weeks ago when I read about an internet friend making a cauliflower based pizza crust…intrigued and scared I filed it away in my mind for a rare adventure in eating day. Well my friends, that day was today and so, I share something non-rainbow, but equally revolutionary for me. The cauliflower pizza crust. Lulu approved.

Ingredients

3 cups cauliflower, grated

1 cup shredded light mozzarella cheese

1- 2 egg

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp rosemary

Garlic powder, to taste

Directions

Steam the cauliflower, let it cool and then grate it. ( I actually chopped and grated mine first using a food processor then microwaved the grated veggie for nearly 8 minutes to “steam”)

Combine grated cauliflower with the mozzarella and egg in a large bowl. Spray a circular or rectangular metal pan with cooking spray before spreading the dough evenly. ( Or if you have a pizza stone, cover it with parchment paper ) Sprinkle the dough with spices and mix them in. I found the dough to be quite wet, this may be because I steamed after I chopped, or I did not allow enough time to cool, so I added more and more cauliflower and found that worked for me.

Bake at 450° F for 12-15 minutes. Bake for another 20 or so at 350..keep your eye on things When it’s to your liking with crispiness remove from oven and add the toppings of your choice (be fast though, the tomoato sauce if you choose to add it will quickly make it’s way through the crust and sog it up a bit) - I retured mine to the oven for an additional 10 minutes plus 3 minutes on high under the broiler because I wanted everything crisp! 

My toppings? Chicken, mozza, caramelized onions and roasted garlic. delicious. This crust doesn’t taste like bread, but I can tell you it sure doesn’t taste like cauliflower and for that I am relived. It is very similar in taste and texture to polenta and next time I will season it more aggressively maybe with some chilli powder and more fresh herbs.

So, there you have it,  I’m eating my veggies, sneaking them into my own diet wherever I can and finding surprise taste adventures along the way! There are a lot of sites online with this recipe so google away friends and maybe the finiky eater in your house might find this veggie one that can be easily handled =)

And so within days of their departure from our island I began to feel the call of creation. The urge to make something for that baby who would be connected to butterflies. I imagined many things with wings that I could bring to her, but slowly I began to focus on an idea of movement through colour and of texture. Something that baby might love as she became a little girl and might still find of interest as she moves into being a young adult.  I got out my trusty paper punches and began to punch my way through hundreds of fluttering shapes in rainbow hues.

One by one I would place them. One by one I would add others and fold their wings. It took weeks, but it was a labor of love inspired by a little girl who by now had just entered the world and soon I had a rainbow cyclone of paper butterflies. I hope she loves it as much as I loved creating it for her.

My thumb is not very green, I can’t seem to keep many things happy in my garden beds, but the one type of plant I really do well with is herbs. Last year I was so excited to dry my own herbs to use in cooking and have been pleased as punch that many came back after the winter. This year, my herb garden has expanded and I have a mulitude of ideas about what to do with my fragrent friends beyond mere cooking and drying.

First on the list was preparing my own vodka infusion. Inspired by that beautiful picture I put together my own mixture of  mint, lavender and rosemary - all fresh from the garden. Here you can see my experiment in the jar. I have read infusing times vary from two days to  one month. I will check on the flavor of my own creation in a week or so. Then check in week after week following. If this works, and is delicious, I can see a whole host of other herb infused beverages being created this summer.

To accompany the vodka infusions, I plan on creating a number of simple syrup infusions as well. Notably rose-infused simple syrup,lavender syrup, and vanilla-ginger syrup. If all goes well, I can see recreating these along with herb soaps from my favorite magazine of all time Martha Stewart Living. This how-to soap recipe that I have ear marked in one of her magazines is really calling to me. I can imagine making all of these things for a garden inspired wedding…a little idea that kicks around in the back of my mind ( right hunny?)

For now, it is all just great possibility. I hope to post more when I know what my infusion actually tastes like and hopefully my hunny will help create a beautiful image of our own to publish in here so I can share how to make something amazing out of our own infused-vodkas. I will likely make the rose syrup as soon as I deem the vodka is ready to go!

In this ice-cream gelatin excursion, I added a little coconut pudding powder to the vanilla bunny and a little extra gelatin to all the bunnies because I wanted them to hold their shape. The pudding powder made the big bunny set too fast and I was scared its consistency would remain lumpy (though it did not). The small   bunnies were not as tasty as I would like. They were too firm and not chocolaty enough. In future I would add more cocoa powder to my ice-cream mix. I also tried not adding the sweetened condensed milk, a mistake I will not repeat - it is essential to creating that certain something in the taste.

  Of course, the gelatin was not enough for my Easter feast, I needed some cookies. These little sugar cookies were made from the roll out recipe that came with the cookie cutter itself. I could not stop eating these tasty treats, nor could my guests.   The cookies lasted only a day, but a tasty day it was. Learning to bake and decorate has brought me immesuable joy. I admit, I get easily frustrated when things do not come out perfect. I want to be naturally good at all I do, and teaching myself to make beautiful baked goods is a great challenge because it involves not only a lot of skill, but a lot of practice. So while I gain a few well deserved pounds, I learn a wonderful lesson of patience with myself. An excellent gift indeed.

The trouble is - I have watched a lot of Antique’s Roadshow and the like and now that this set is over 100 years old and officially an antique, I know that to repaint is bring the value down . I wrestled with myself and for years I did nothing, but finally I decided it was time to truly enjoy my desk again. If I ever sold it, it would never bring a ton of money anyway! So out came the sandpaper and so began the refinishing.

My kitty Zissou was excited the moment the drawers left. In this picture you can see the old finish remains and in the larger picture the hard of work of sanding pays off and I have a sanded piece. I have to tell you though, I had no idea how much work it would be. There are a lot of nooks and crannies!

Priming, priming and more priming.

 Two coats of paint later…well, actually 3 because at first I painted it a different colour but was unhappy with it. I had a bright pop of turquoise colour for my living room and I could not be happier with how it looks. I do need to apply some sort of hardener or sealer though because i have found the paint to be rather soft..almost stick because it is meant for walls.  I will find a solution though and in the meantime I am spreading the word - if you want to enjoy it- through caution to the wind and paint your wood!!

  Sarah’s French Style Goat Cheese

You will need:

1-2 litres of goats milk, 1-5 tbsp white vinegar, sea salt, flavoring for your cheese (we used garlic, dill and nigella seeds)

Tools Required:

heavy bottom pot, cheese cloth or cheese molds, strainer and about 1.5 hours

 Step One - Get the Goat Milk on the Burner

  Heat milk on medium-low until almost boiling. 2 Litres of milk will take 45-60 min depending on your stove and pot. Stir often to avoid the milk from burning. Over the course of the hour or so you will notice the milk thickening up and giving more resistance to your spoon.

 Step Two - Stir til it’s Foamy

The milk is ready when it is slightly foamy on top with small bubbles beginning to rise up (190 - 200F ) . DO not allow the milk to boil, but do be sure that the bubbling has begun. It’s very close to boil and you can really see the pressure under the surface. Be sure to stir up any skin that is forming on the top

Step Three - Vinegar Makes the Magic

 Keeping the milk from boiling, now you are going to add the vinegar one tablespoon at a time to separate the curds and whey. Remove the milk from the stove top. Add each tablespoon of vinegar and stir about 20 seconds. The amount of vinegar required will depend on how much fat is in the milk. Sarah’s experience has been 1-2 tbsp per litre. Go slowly as you do not want too much vinegar. When it looks like you have curd soup, you have reached the consistency you want with the curds and whey separating.

Step 4 Strain Away the Liquid

Strain out all the liquid and put curds into a bowl

Step 5 Add the Flavor !

First you must add salt to bring out the flavor of your cheese. Keep in mind that much of this salt will be lost when you squeeze out the excess liquid in the next step so add a little more salt than you like to taste. Also know that the more salt, the more separation of curd from whey, so if you want a firmer cheese you may need more salt. I added just over a teaspoon and a half (be sure to taste along the way). Mix in your salt well and then add the fresh or dried flavors you fancy. I used nigella seeds, fresh dill, pepper, and garlic powder. The flavor possibilities are endless really.

     Step 6 Mold the Cheese and Squeeze

With the flavor all mixed in, it’s time to squeeze out the excess liquid and shape your cheese. For our workshop this involved using cheese cloth. Spoon your cheese into the center of the cheese cloth and wrap it up, then gently begin squeezing out the excess water. The cheese will still be quite soft to the touch, you can really make it the consistency you want. The cheese will continue lose liquid during this time so you will want to hang the cheese in it’s cloth over a bow in the fridge. I actually used an old yogurt container and cut slits into it to make my own cheese mold. One I put the cheese into that I used another similar sized container filled with rocks and placed that on top to press down on the cheese while it set overnight. The cheese will basically be set up in 4-8 hours

Step Seven Knock Everyone Out With Your Cheese

After the cheese has set, it’s time to un-mold it and taste the fruits of your labors.  The flavor will be mild after one night and will continue to develop over the next few days (if you allow it to last that long). Keep your tasty treat in a refrigerated air tight container and serve with crackers, sprinkle on salad or pizza and enjoy.

(more…)

Round one:

Gluten and Dairy Free Rainbow Cupcakes

Baked with a recipe adapted from Amanda’s Random Ramblings Livejournal

I had to change up the flours used as I only had white and brown rice flour. I then omitted the salt because I find the margarine I use is salty enough and after mixing things in the Kitchenaid I found the batter to be too dry, so I added an additional 1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk. I divided up the batter into 5 dishes and mixed in the colour. 

The result was beautiful. The density of the batter kept the layers of colour well separated and the finished result looked stunning both inside and outside of the cupcake.  The taste was a little corn muffinish though even with the vanilla frosting. To be fair, I was the only one who complained, my celiac friends gobbled these up, as did my hunny who preferred the taste of this slightly less sweet cupcake (but still sweet - no worries)

Round Two

Dairy and Gluten Full Rainbow Cupcakes

Baked with a recipe for buttermilk cake, these more traditional cupcakes mixed up easily and took the food colouring gel pretty well (just like with the cake). Layering the batter in the muffin tins though was more of a challenge to keep the colours away from one another. 

The result was delicious, but the colours were a little light for my liking and the outside got a bit brown (I must have left them in too long) The gluten free cupcakes held the pre-baking colour better, but the the gluten full cupcakes came out fluffier. These were a delightful treat for our ladies craft afternoon and I think (based on the reactions of the kids there) that these snack sized rainbows would be a huge hit with a child’s party. I will try both recipes out again with a bit of tweaking and more colour gel. Til I get it right I guess I just have to keep on eating the test subjects!

Mixing the ice-cream and the gelatin was the most nerve racking part for me because I don’t buy gelatin by the packet, I buy it in bulk, so the measurements can be a little off. I measured out several “packets” worth ( 2.5 teaspoons per packet I read) before I got started. I bloomed (sprinkled over half a cup of cold water) two “packets” and then got to work according to Victoria’s recipe. 

Cookies and Cream Jello (recipe by Victoria Belanger)

3 packages of Knox plain gelatin
3/4 cup cold water
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 pint cookies and cream ice cream
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag of mini Oreo cookies

In a small bowl, sprinkle 2 packages of Knox over 1/2 cup cold water until gelatin absorbs the water. Stir in 1 cup boiling water for 2 minutes until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir in ice cream until the mixture is smooth. Crush up about 1/2 cup of the cookies and stir in. Refrigerate until mixture thickens to a gel. Arrange whole cookies in the bottom of the mold and spoon ice cram into mold over cookies. Refrigerate until set but not firm.

 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl sprinkle 1 package of Knox over 1/4 cup cold water until gelatin absorbs the water. Stir in 3/4 cup boiling water for 2 minutes until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temp and stir in about 1 1/2 cup crushed cookies. Spoon into mold over ice cram layer and refrigerate until firm.

 I changed it up though (as you can see in my picture). I added a second layer of sweetened condensed milk mixed with cocoa powder ( the real stuff) I used about 2 heaping tablespoons mixed into one can of condensed milk combined with with 1 cup of boiling water. In a bowl, I then sprinkled 2 tablespoons of gelatin over 1/2 cup of cold water and let bloom for a couple of minutes then adding 1/2 cup of boiling water to dissolve. Stir well, add to the milk mixture and mix thoroughly. Cool to room temperature before pouring over the first layer of Jello. This mixture tastes out-of-control good. It was the perfect addition to the ice-cream gelatin! 

Feeling a boost of confidence from my successful round with rainbow jello, I decided that this would be the weekend that I tried my own rainbow layer cake. With a potluck to attend I knew that a large layer cake would be just the thing. My starting place would be the same as Martha Stewart Whisk Kid’s Blog the WhiskKid would provide me with the basic recipe and technique, but I knew that I wanted coloured icing in-between layers. The cake batter was easy breezy and done quickly, and then it came time to add the rainbow.

I used a gel based food colour, but even still it took a lot of red before I felt that the colour was passable. The other colours all took quite quickly (except orange which I had to make from a mix and for future, I would just buy it) I thought that the bowls looked like they were filled with paint and it filled me with joy

Baking the cakes two at a time (because that’s how many cake pans I have  ) took all my patience. Waiting for the layers to cool before removing them from the pan was hard because I was so anxious to put everything together, but patient I remained because I did not want any of my layers to crack. Once cooled, I did my best with my level eye (har har) to level out the tops of the cakes so each layer would sit well.

Then, my hunny helped me whip up a whole whack of butter-cream icing (we used more than a kg of icing sugar!) While cakes cooled, we divided some the icing into cups and coloured each to correspond to the cake layer. To me, this is the most integral part of the process because I really wanted the whole inside of the cake to be a rainbow unlike many of the others I had seen. It’s what I really loved best about the first rainbow cake I had seen. Once all the layers were cool, and the frosting create, it was time to crumb coat. Now, I am just learning about baking, so this was my first crumb coat and I was nervous. but it was well-worth it. I was stunned at just how easily it picked up the crumbs and held them in so that they would not ruin my final outer coat.

The finished cake showed no clue of its glorious insides. and I carefully packed it up and we drove to our friend’s potluck. Sure people thought that the cake looked lovely because of its height, but they had no idea what awaited them. I was giddy with anticipation, and after dinner as we cut into the cake it filled me with immeasurable joy to hear the host’s daughter whisper “OH I didn’t know there were rainbows in there”

If you make this, this is the moment that you wait for, the one where the rainbow is revealed I am in love with the inside of this cake!Of course, looks are one thing - taste is entirely another. This cake was light, sugary and delicious. Everything a rainbow layer cake should be. It was worth the afternoon of baking for all the smiles and I would do it again. Look at how happy I am to eat it! Now, I must warn all you rainbow bakers out there that eating rainbow cake is contagious. Once you have eaten one, seen one, or know about one, you will wish to see another. I look forward to making it again…in fact, my hunny has challenged me to making a gluten-free version. Challenge accepted.