Babies, Bread & Beautiful Bloggers. . .

Babies:
My *little* sister just had her 3rd baby last month.  Her 3rd boy.  A beautiful, healthy, chunky little boy named Leo. ♥

{So, she now has a 4 year-old, a one-year-old, a newborn and a good case of sleep-deprivation. ;)}

Bread:
It's always been my philosophy that new mothers need a little sugar high to make it through the day.....or at least until naptime. 

Enter Poppy Seed Bread that makes TWO loaves and is perfect to freeze and drop off to a new mommy.

The bread is oh-so-moist....I'm no expert, but it might have something to do with the 1+ cups of oil in the recipe.
 
It is SO good just sliced and served plain for breakfast, or a snack, or for dessert.  It's a multi-tasker.

Beautiful Bloggers:
You may know that we lost my mom to cancer over 10 years ago.  Kiddo was 1 and I feel so lucky that he had her in his life, even if it was only for a year.

Mom made the quilt for kiddo's bed....and she started a small quilt for him to have to carry around.  But she got too sick to finish it.

I'm not good with a needle and thread.  So, this little quilt was in a bag that I've carried from house to house to house.  And a couple months before baby Leo was born, I found it!

Here's what it looked like (the top was put together, batting and back attached with pins and bits of thread.):

On a whim, I tweeted something like, "Anyone interested in finishing a baby quilt in exchange for cookies.....or cash?"  

I'm not kidding, 5 seconds later, sweet Robyn from Earthbound Chronicles offered to finish it.....FOR THE COOKIES!!!  I think I offered her a few chances to back out....or to take the cash instead.  She wouldn't even let me pay her for shipping.

Here's how the quilt looks now:
 
Absolutely gorgeous!!!  And take a gander at this adorable, darling, perfect trim that Robyn added...

 

{Oh, I love it!}

So, now baby Leo has a little piece of something his Gigi made.....with a BIG dash of love from a sweet blogger we've never even met.

{Y'all....I never expected blogging to bring me to tears, but it does. What I love the most about blogging & tweeting is what I never expected.....meeting the most amazing, creative, generous souls on earth.}

Thank you SO MUCH, Robyn.  {I still think you should have taken the cash.} ;)

Poppy Seed Bread
{adapted from Mary Engelbreit's Fan Fare}

1 & 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 & 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 cup + 2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 & 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 & 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 & 1/2 TBSP poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease sides and bottoms of two 9x5" loaf pans.

In a large bowl on low speed, beat together the milk, eggs, vanilla, extracts and oil.

Add in the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat for 2 minutes.  Stir in the poppy seeds.

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and bake 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in wire racks in the pans 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely.

To freeze, wrap cooled loaf in heavy-duty foil.  Thaw at room temperature several hours or overnight.

Babies:
My *little* sister just had her 3rd baby last month.  Her 3rd boy.  A beautiful, healthy, chunky little boy named Leo. ♥

{So, she now has a 4 year-old, a one-year-old, a newborn and a good case of sleep-deprivation. ;)}

Bread:
It's always been my philosophy that new mothers need a little sugar high to make it through the day.....or at least until naptime. 

Enter Poppy Seed Bread that makes TWO loaves and is perfect to freeze and drop off to a new mommy.

The bread is oh-so-moist....I'm no expert, but it might have something to do with the 1+ cups of oil in the recipe.
 
It is SO good just sliced and served plain for breakfast, or a snack, or for dessert.  It's a multi-tasker.

Beautiful Bloggers:
You may know that we lost my mom to cancer over 10 years ago.  Kiddo was 1 and I feel so lucky that he had her in his life, even if it was only for a year.

Mom made the quilt for kiddo's bed....and she started a small quilt for him to have to carry around.  But she got too sick to finish it.

I'm not good with a needle and thread.  So, this little quilt was in a bag that I've carried from house to house to house.  And a couple months before baby Leo was born, I found it!

Here's what it looked like (the top was put together, batting and back attached with pins and bits of thread.):

On a whim, I tweeted something like, "Anyone interested in finishing a baby quilt in exchange for cookies.....or cash?"  

I'm not kidding, 5 seconds later, sweet Robyn from Earthbound Chronicles offered to finish it.....FOR THE COOKIES!!!  I think I offered her a few chances to back out....or to take the cash instead.  She wouldn't even let me pay her for shipping.

Here's how the quilt looks now:
 
Absolutely gorgeous!!!  And take a gander at this adorable, darling, perfect trim that Robyn added...

 

{Oh, I love it!}

So, now baby Leo has a little piece of something his Gigi made.....with a BIG dash of love from a sweet blogger we've never even met.

{Y'all....I never expected blogging to bring me to tears, but it does. What I love the most about blogging & tweeting is what I never expected.....meeting the most amazing, creative, generous souls on earth.}

Thank you SO MUCH, Robyn.  {I still think you should have taken the cash.} ;)

Poppy Seed Bread
{adapted from Mary Engelbreit's Fan Fare}

1 & 1/2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 & 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 tsp. pure almond extract
1 cup + 2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 & 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 & 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 & 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 & 1/2 TBSP poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease sides and bottoms of two 9x5" loaf pans.

In a large bowl on low speed, beat together the milk, eggs, vanilla, extracts and oil.

Add in the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  Beat for 2 minutes.  Stir in the poppy seeds.

Divide the batter between the two loaf pans and bake 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in wire racks in the pans 10 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely.

To freeze, wrap cooled loaf in heavy-duty foil.  Thaw at room temperature several hours or overnight.

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3 Dinners: Nigella Salads

I've got a few more Nigella Kitchen recipes to share.  Today's theme: Salads!

Panzanella

I knew I would love Nigella's panzanella (Italian bread salad) as soon as I read the recipe.  The dressing starts with some finely sliced red onions, soaked them in red wine vinegar.  Always delicious.  (Remember?) There are also stale bread cubes, basil leaves and diced tomatoes.  A classic combo of flavours - you couldn't really go wrong!  Nigella's version majors on the bread, and looks rather like a big oil-soused pile of bread cubes, but I tried to keep all the elements a bit chunkier and separate.  I think it looks prettier that way, don't you?

This recipe is included in the Cook it Better chapter, which is focused on using up leftovers productively.  Antithetic, I know, but I really luxed it up, by adding a ball of DOP buffalo mozzarella.  Proper buffalo mozzarella is a world away from those depressing (and surprisingly pricey) little bouncy bocconcini balls they sell in the supermarkets.  Fabulous!

Crisp chicken cutlets with salad on the side

This recipe for crumbed chicken, (from the What's for Tea? chapter), just sneaks into the 'salad' category thanks to the salad on the side.  Schnitzel was one of the first things I learned to cook (along with pancakes and mustard chicken), but I've picked up some tips from Nigella to make it even more tasty.

Here, the chicken is marinated in buttermilk and mustard, and coated in crumbs mixed with oregano, grated parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper.  You could use any breadcrumbs (and I think Nigella recommends panko), but I couldn't resist the brightly coloured box of Cornflake crumbs.

The side salad is made of tomatoes, spinach leaves and parmesan shavings, with a dressing of red wine vinegar and olive oil.  Come to think of it, the crispy chicken and salad is rather like her crunchy pork chops, from the Ultimate Feasts chapter of Feast.  Equally wonderful.


Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Salad

This salad is suggested as a way of using up leftover chicken meat from the praised chicken.  Simple: chicken meat, lettuce, avocado, crispy fried bacon pieces, chives. It's dressed with a punchy mixture of mustard, vinegar and the unfortunately named, but undeniably delicious, rapeseed oil.  It made for incredibly tasty, compulsive eating.  The BLT sandwich is so ubiquitous in cafes here, but can be so greasy and heavy, especially if you take the BLAT option.  I think the strong flavours work so much better as a salad.

I've got a few more Nigella Kitchen recipes to share.  Today's theme: Salads!

Panzanella

I knew I would love Nigella's panzanella (Italian bread salad) as soon as I read the recipe.  The dressing starts with some finely sliced red onions, soaked them in red wine vinegar.  Always delicious.  (Remember?) There are also stale bread cubes, basil leaves and diced tomatoes.  A classic combo of flavours - you couldn't really go wrong!  Nigella's version majors on the bread, and looks rather like a big oil-soused pile of bread cubes, but I tried to keep all the elements a bit chunkier and separate.  I think it looks prettier that way, don't you?

This recipe is included in the Cook it Better chapter, which is focused on using up leftovers productively.  Antithetic, I know, but I really luxed it up, by adding a ball of DOP buffalo mozzarella.  Proper buffalo mozzarella is a world away from those depressing (and surprisingly pricey) little bouncy bocconcini balls they sell in the supermarkets.  Fabulous!

Crisp chicken cutlets with salad on the side

This recipe for crumbed chicken, (from the What's for Tea? chapter), just sneaks into the 'salad' category thanks to the salad on the side.  Schnitzel was one of the first things I learned to cook (along with pancakes and mustard chicken), but I've picked up some tips from Nigella to make it even more tasty.

Here, the chicken is marinated in buttermilk and mustard, and coated in crumbs mixed with oregano, grated parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper.  You could use any breadcrumbs (and I think Nigella recommends panko), but I couldn't resist the brightly coloured box of Cornflake crumbs.

The side salad is made of tomatoes, spinach leaves and parmesan shavings, with a dressing of red wine vinegar and olive oil.  Come to think of it, the crispy chicken and salad is rather like her crunchy pork chops, from the Ultimate Feasts chapter of Feast.  Equally wonderful.


Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Salad

This salad is suggested as a way of using up leftover chicken meat from the praised chicken.  Simple: chicken meat, lettuce, avocado, crispy fried bacon pieces, chives. It's dressed with a punchy mixture of mustard, vinegar and the unfortunately named, but undeniably delicious, rapeseed oil.  It made for incredibly tasty, compulsive eating.  The BLT sandwich is so ubiquitous in cafes here, but can be so greasy and heavy, especially if you take the BLAT option.  I think the strong flavours work so much better as a salad.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Tuesdays At The Table - Easy Oreo Truffles

Happy Valentine's Day!!  I hope you got lots of love from your significant other, kids, friends, pets and co-workers.  :-)

In celebration of cupid's day, here is a super easy oreo truffle recipe. 

Easy Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg.  (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed & divided

1 pkg. (14 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Mix softened cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended. Roll into 48 (gumball size) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

Refridgerate 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Happy Valentine's Day!!  I hope you got lots of love from your significant other, kids, friends, pets and co-workers.  :-)

In celebration of cupid's day, here is a super easy oreo truffle recipe. 

Easy Oreo Truffles

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg.  (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed & divided

1 pkg. (14 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Mix softened cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended. Roll into 48 (gumball size) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

Refridgerate 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

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Because I love you. . .

...and it's Valentine's Day....I saw this adorable little heart-shaped whisk and measuring spoon set on Saturday, and I bought one for me and one for YOU!!!

 {Naughty cat not included.}

Seriously, I think this ♥ whisk makes me more giddy than anything from Tiffany's could.
{But Mr. E, you are welcome to try.}

Through tomorrow at midnight, leave a comment here about something you LOVE and you'll be entered to win! giveaway closed. ♥

Spike says, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

...and it's Valentine's Day....I saw this adorable little heart-shaped whisk and measuring spoon set on Saturday, and I bought one for me and one for YOU!!!

 {Naughty cat not included.}

Seriously, I think this ♥ whisk makes me more giddy than anything from Tiffany's could.
{But Mr. E, you are welcome to try.}

Through tomorrow at midnight, leave a comment here about something you LOVE and you'll be entered to win! giveaway closed. ♥

Spike says, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing everyone a love-filled Valentine's Day!

Wishing everyone a love-filled Valentine's Day!

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Valentine's Day Double-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!  Whether you're single, attached, in love, cynical, or a busy florist or restaurateur charging exorbitant prices, I hope you have a great day!

For me, Valentine's Day is an excuse to get stuck into some good ol' fashioned heart-shaped baking.  I briefly considered making Smitten Kitchen's fabulicious white and dark hearted brownies (OMG CUTE!), but then I found baking inspiration in the most unlikely of places: a Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine (see the bottom of this post for some pics and a description).

The cookies I made were Martha's Double-Chocolate Chunk Cookies. (Recipe here!) In the magazine they have Christmas shapes stenciled on them; I clearly went for hearts.  They were very quick and easy to make - I went out to buy ingredients around 10:45pm, started baking as soon as I got back, and we were tucking into freshly baked cookies at midnight.  (Yes, this is what I do on a Saturday night!)

I love how dark and glossy the mixture is.

Once the cookies are baked, it's a simple matter of dusting over icing sugar through a baking-paper stencil (and indeed, you could use any cookie recipe you like).  It's easy if you choose a simple shape like a heart, but if you are more dexterous and imaginative than I am, I suppose the sky is the limit!

Ta-dah!

The cookies had a light crunch around the edges, but were soft and melting on the inside.

If you're going all the way with the heart motif, then you could serve these adorable little heart-shaped sugar cubes with your accompanying tea or coffee.

CUTE!

Or alternatively, a nice sensible glass of cold milk.

These cookies were delicious!  Nice and crunchy and not too sweet, with a deep, rich chocolate taste, thanks to generous amounts of cocoa and dark chocolate.  Rather an adult taste, I must say.  Ordinarily I find American baking recipes too sweet, but I didn't adjust any of the quantities while baking - Martha strikes me as someone whose recipes you must follow to the letter. And they turned out perfect, so I'm glad I didn't adjust anything.  We packed up the leftover cookies in an airtight container with baking paper in between each layer, and took them to share with some friends the next day.  I was also pleased that the icing-sugar hearts stayed in place.

Next, I'd like to try the dark-chocolate espresso cookies, which are the cover recipe (see pic below), and pretty similar to the double-chocolate chunk cookies.  They have the same ingredients with an extra tablespoon of espresso powder and a slightly different method.  I think the coffee would really complement the dark chocolate taste.

And as I promised, here are some pics from the Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine.  I've never found Martha particularly appealing - she seems so anal-retentive and perfectionist - so I was surprised by how much I loved the magazine!  I saw it in the local newsagent, had a quick flick through it, and just had to buy it.  Lovely photography and styling, and fabulous recipes that were (surprisingly) relevant and topical!  I know Martha's not too big in Australia, but perhaps a little look-see inside the magazine will persuade you?

Mag cover - Zimtsterne and Dark Chocolate-Espresso Cookies

The mag is divided into categories depending on who's eating them: for traditionalists, for trendsetters, for little ones, for hedonists etc.  There are loads of classics, as well as some more exciting ones - smoky bacon-ginger cookies or peppercorn shortbread, anyone?  I'm thinking of buying her Cookies book, but I think there are quite enough recipes in this magazine to keep me going for a while.

Pepita Spice Cookies, Indian-Spiced Cashew-Lime Cookies; Gingersnap Ice-Cream Sandwiches; Slice-and-Bake Bull's-Eye and Spiral Cookies

Almond macarons, Biscotti

Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookies; Mice Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!  Whether you're single, attached, in love, cynical, or a busy florist or restaurateur charging exorbitant prices, I hope you have a great day!

For me, Valentine's Day is an excuse to get stuck into some good ol' fashioned heart-shaped baking.  I briefly considered making Smitten Kitchen's fabulicious white and dark hearted brownies (OMG CUTE!), but then I found baking inspiration in the most unlikely of places: a Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine (see the bottom of this post for some pics and a description).

The cookies I made were Martha's Double-Chocolate Chunk Cookies. (Recipe here!) In the magazine they have Christmas shapes stenciled on them; I clearly went for hearts.  They were very quick and easy to make - I went out to buy ingredients around 10:45pm, started baking as soon as I got back, and we were tucking into freshly baked cookies at midnight.  (Yes, this is what I do on a Saturday night!)

I love how dark and glossy the mixture is.

Once the cookies are baked, it's a simple matter of dusting over icing sugar through a baking-paper stencil (and indeed, you could use any cookie recipe you like).  It's easy if you choose a simple shape like a heart, but if you are more dexterous and imaginative than I am, I suppose the sky is the limit!

Ta-dah!

The cookies had a light crunch around the edges, but were soft and melting on the inside.

If you're going all the way with the heart motif, then you could serve these adorable little heart-shaped sugar cubes with your accompanying tea or coffee.

CUTE!

Or alternatively, a nice sensible glass of cold milk.

These cookies were delicious!  Nice and crunchy and not too sweet, with a deep, rich chocolate taste, thanks to generous amounts of cocoa and dark chocolate.  Rather an adult taste, I must say.  Ordinarily I find American baking recipes too sweet, but I didn't adjust any of the quantities while baking - Martha strikes me as someone whose recipes you must follow to the letter. And they turned out perfect, so I'm glad I didn't adjust anything.  We packed up the leftover cookies in an airtight container with baking paper in between each layer, and took them to share with some friends the next day.  I was also pleased that the icing-sugar hearts stayed in place.

Next, I'd like to try the dark-chocolate espresso cookies, which are the cover recipe (see pic below), and pretty similar to the double-chocolate chunk cookies.  They have the same ingredients with an extra tablespoon of espresso powder and a slightly different method.  I think the coffee would really complement the dark chocolate taste.

And as I promised, here are some pics from the Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine.  I've never found Martha particularly appealing - she seems so anal-retentive and perfectionist - so I was surprised by how much I loved the magazine!  I saw it in the local newsagent, had a quick flick through it, and just had to buy it.  Lovely photography and styling, and fabulous recipes that were (surprisingly) relevant and topical!  I know Martha's not too big in Australia, but perhaps a little look-see inside the magazine will persuade you?

Mag cover - Zimtsterne and Dark Chocolate-Espresso Cookies

The mag is divided into categories depending on who's eating them: for traditionalists, for trendsetters, for little ones, for hedonists etc.  There are loads of classics, as well as some more exciting ones - smoky bacon-ginger cookies or peppercorn shortbread, anyone?  I'm thinking of buying her Cookies book, but I think there are quite enough recipes in this magazine to keep me going for a while.

Pepita Spice Cookies, Indian-Spiced Cashew-Lime Cookies; Gingersnap Ice-Cream Sandwiches; Slice-and-Bake Bull's-Eye and Spiral Cookies

Almond macarons, Biscotti

Chocolate-Caramel Sandwich Cookies; Mice Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Way to a Man's Heart.....

I take the proverb very seriously and it was even in our vows that I would continue to plan great menus for the week and cook gourmet meals for my husband when we wed a year ago. For our first Valentine's Day as a married couple I picked Cam's favourites and created a special Valentine's Menu.

One of Cam's preferred Italian dishes is gnocchi, and after the My Kitchen Rules WA girls created lovely "soft pillows" for Pete and Manu, I wanted to do the same for my hubbie. I chose another of his favourites, prawns, and for entree prepared Bird Cow Fish chef, Alex Herbert's Potato Gnocchi with Sauteed Prawns in a Burnt Butter Sauce  in the first season of Masterchef. I bought a potato ricer for the occasion (from one of my favourite shops which has everything a wannabe pro cook could need, The Chef and the Cook in Camperdown, NSW)

The gnocchi dough was surprisingly easy to make with the help of the potato ricer and I realised the importance of "mis en place" as I came to cook the dish. Everything only took a few seconds so I was pleased I'd taken the time to get everything ready and next to the stove top by the time I threw the gnocchi in the boiling water, and the prawns in the frypan.

The next course was Cam's all time favourites: duck. Duck is typically quite a rich meat and being summer I wanted to choose a lighter course, so the duck was served with a warm salad: Duck Salad with Red Wine Dressing. It was a delicious main, full of flavour with a delicious watercress and beetroot salad, with potatoes crisped up in the duck fat.

Cam not being a big dessert fan, but a lover of our homemade ice cream, I chose to prepare a challenging (for me) dessert, something that I'd not tried before - Mocha Souffle with my own Coffee Mallow Ice Cream.. I was very impressed with myself that the souffle rose and that the ice cream went so well with it! A light but delicious end to an amazing Valentine's Day meal.

I take the proverb very seriously and it was even in our vows that I would continue to plan great menus for the week and cook gourmet meals for my husband when we wed a year ago. For our first Valentine's Day as a married couple I picked Cam's favourites and created a special Valentine's Menu.

One of Cam's preferred Italian dishes is gnocchi, and after the My Kitchen Rules WA girls created lovely "soft pillows" for Pete and Manu, I wanted to do the same for my hubbie. I chose another of his favourites, prawns, and for entree prepared Bird Cow Fish chef, Alex Herbert's Potato Gnocchi with Sauteed Prawns in a Burnt Butter Sauce  in the first season of Masterchef. I bought a potato ricer for the occasion (from one of my favourite shops which has everything a wannabe pro cook could need, The Chef and the Cook in Camperdown, NSW)

The gnocchi dough was surprisingly easy to make with the help of the potato ricer and I realised the importance of "mis en place" as I came to cook the dish. Everything only took a few seconds so I was pleased I'd taken the time to get everything ready and next to the stove top by the time I threw the gnocchi in the boiling water, and the prawns in the frypan.

The next course was Cam's all time favourites: duck. Duck is typically quite a rich meat and being summer I wanted to choose a lighter course, so the duck was served with a warm salad: Duck Salad with Red Wine Dressing. It was a delicious main, full of flavour with a delicious watercress and beetroot salad, with potatoes crisped up in the duck fat.

Cam not being a big dessert fan, but a lover of our homemade ice cream, I chose to prepare a challenging (for me) dessert, something that I'd not tried before - Mocha Souffle with my own Coffee Mallow Ice Cream.. I was very impressed with myself that the souffle rose and that the ice cream went so well with it! A light but delicious end to an amazing Valentine's Day meal.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad