Saturday, July 31, 2010

Confectionery

I would
love
a lolly
from...



Or
maybe a
Honey Nougat




This
Ireland
based
Confectionery
is  screaming
my name.


Friday, July 30, 2010

Swedish Style



I think
I have
found a
name
to my
particular
style...


Swedish Style.









And
I found
a blog
full of
Swedish Style!


It's so
lovely.

Posted 1 Year Ago: "Napkin Rings"

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Gingered Sour Cream Muffins



There are
so many
wonderful
reasons
to live
in the
Flathead
Valley
during the
summer.

One
of those
reasons
is the
Flathead
Cherries!


These
sour cream
muffins
have a
cherry
on top!



Gingered Sour Cream Muffins
Adapted from Coconut & Lime


Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, at room temperature
whole cherries with stems attached 


1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, mix together oil, sour cream, milk, egg and vanilla until blended. Add the dry ingredients. Mix the batter thoroughly.

4. Fill each well about 3/4 of the way.

5. Top each with a cherry. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove to rack and allow to cool before serving.


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Monday, July 26, 2010

Brown Sugar & Walnut Pound Cake



This
was a
first
for me!

The first
time
for
making
pound cake!

(But for looks
I made it
in a
Bunt
cake pan) 



Brown Sugar & Walnut Pound Cake
Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. coarse salt
4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
2 cups packed dark-brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
9 large, room-temperature eggs
2 cups toasted, chopped walnuts


1 cup powder sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter Bunt cake pan. 

2. Combine flour and 1 tablespoon salt in a bowl.

3. Cream 4 sticks butter and dark-brown sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.

4. Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Fold walnuts into finished batter. 

5. Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.

6. Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack. 

7. For icing, combine the powder sugar, cream and vanilla on the stove top on medium heat and stir until drizzly. Drizzle over the top.


8. Serve cake with icing and whipped cream.







  • 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour











  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt











  • 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans











  • 2 cups packed dark-brown sugar











  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract











  • 9 large, room-temperature eggs











  • 2 cups toasted, chopped walnuts












  • 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour











  • 1 tablespoon coarse salt











  • 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans











  • 2 cups packed dark-brown sugar











  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract











  • 9 large, room-temperature eggs











  • 2 cups toasted, chopped walnuts









  • Sunday, July 25, 2010

    Strawberry Mojito



    My thoughts
    exactly.





    You could
     also
    make a...

    Strawberry Mojito!

    Which
    I enjoyed
    on our
    camping trip
    last night.




    Strawberry Mojito

    4 strawberries, sliced
    juice from 1/2 lemon
    1 ounce white rum
    1 ounce simple syrup
    club soda

    1. Mash the strawberries in the bottom of the cup along with the juice from 1/2 a lemon.

    2. Add ice to the top of the cup.

    3. Pour the rum and simple syrup over the ice.

    4. Add a splash of club soda and stir.

    5. Enjoy.

    Saturday, July 24, 2010

    He is still Growing!



    Our
    keeps
    getting
    bigger and 
    bigger.




    Micah,
    Silas,
    and I
    are going
    camping
    this weekend!

    Summer
    is so
    beautiful
    here.


    On a
    side note
    having
    Silas
    in our
    yard
    really
    keeps the
    deer
    away!

    Thus
    my flowers
    are growing
    so well.



    Thursday, July 22, 2010

    Grilled Pepper Bruchetta


    One
    of my
    guilty
    pleasures
    is to
    watch
    the
    Food
    Network.

    I could
    watch the
    cooking
    shows
    for hours!

    I saw
    this
    recipe
    last 
    summer...


    and I
    have been
    waiting
    that long
    to make it.

    It was
    worth
    the
    wait!

    Grilled Pepper Bruchetta
    Adapted from Bobby Flay


    3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
    Salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    12 (1/2-inch) thick slices French baguette
    12 ounces Gorgonzola, at room temperature
    2 red bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
    2 yellow bell peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced


    1. Heat the grill to high.

    2. Combine the oil, basil and salt and pepper in a blender and blend for 5 minutes. Strain the oil into a bowl.

    3. Butter the bread on one side. Grill the bread on both sides until lightly golden brown. 

    4. Remove from the grill and spread some of the blue cheese on 1 side of each slice, top with some of the peppers and drizzle with a little of the basil oil.



    Posted 1 Year Ago: "Eggplant Parmesan





    Wednesday, July 21, 2010

    Summit-ed



    I summit-ed
    a mountain
    the other
    day.

    No
    biggy.







    The tallest
    peak...

    yep,
    climbed
    that one
    to the
    top!


    Posted 1 Year Ago: "Amazing-ness"

    Monday, July 19, 2010

    Papermash



    I just
    found
    this
    beautiful
    store!


    And
    they sell
    the most
    lovely...



    Straws...




    Baker's Twine...




    Beautiful Tape...




     More Tape...




    and Doilies...




    Posted 1 Year Ago: "Micah"

    Saturday, July 17, 2010

    Mediterranean Pizza


    Oh my.

    This
    was so
    good.



    Mediterranean Pizza

    Crust:
    3/4 cup warm water
    1 packet rapid rise yeast
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp thyme
    1/2 tsp fennel seeds
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 1/2 cups flour

     Toppings:
    2 tsp olive oil
    2 tsp fresh rosemary
    3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
    1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts (from a water packed can)
    1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
    1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced
    thinly sliced red onion
    1 tsp sea salt



    1. Pour water into a mixer bowl then sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes, until it starts to bubble.

    2. Add the olive oil, salt, thyme and fennel seeds.

    3. Mix on low, slowly adding the flour 1/4 cup at a time.

    4. Shape dough in a ball and place in a olive oil lined bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours.

    5. Mix the 2 tsp olive oil, rosemary and garlic together and let sit.

    6. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and lightly flour surface with flour and cornmeal. Lay risen dough on the flour and form into the desired size of the pizza crust.

    7. Bake crust for 5 minutes then take out of the oven and brush with rosemary-garlic oil.

    8. Layer on the onion, artichoke hearts, olives and goat cheese.

    9. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.



     

    Friday, July 16, 2010

    Russian Ballet



    You may
    or may not
    know...

    that
    I was
    trained
    in
    Classical
    Ballet
    for
    11 years.













    So I
    absolutely
    adore
    these
    Russian
    Ballet
    photos.

    (Images via HERE)


    Posted 1 Year Ago: "Chapter Books"

    Thursday, July 15, 2010

    Eat Pray Love


    I just finished reading
    this book.

    Oh...
    what book to read next!

    There are so many books out there
    that I would like to read.

    Any suggestions?




    Posted 1 Year Ago: "Christina Courtin"

    Monday, July 12, 2010

    Lily's 1st Birthday


    We
    celebrated
    my nieces...

    1st Birthday

     ...while we
    were in
    Oregon
    this past 
    week.



























    (Jericho, Ryan, Tiffany, & Lily)

    (Uncle Micah and Lily)



    Posted 1 Year Ago: "Apricots"