My offer to a neighbor of the leftover raspberry buttercream from the last birthday cake went unaccepted — just at the same time as I found out that I would be having company this afternoon — so I had a little think about what might go well with it besides chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes. … More Leftover Raspberry Buttercream? Company coming? Make Lemon Cake.
This cake was a first for me, and I can thank the birthday person for whom it was made for the germ of an idea. I’d asked him and asked his wife to ask him what kind of birthday cake he’d like. I’d planned to make my grandmother’s Dutch Chocolate Cake for his birthday this … More Homemade Raspberry Filling plus Birthday Cake to Soak It Up
Yesterday I spent a couple hours having cranberry fun, making cranberries into a candy that I call Cranberry Lolly. My process is secret. The not-secret part is that they’re finely chopped. It can be used on Thanksgiving turkey (and is, at my house when I cook the dinner), but it’s purpose is future use in … More Happy Thanksgiving, and Painting by Jane Nicolet, Tiger/Cougar Mtn.
The 22nd of November is the birthday of my friend and fellow cat enthusiast. Last year I missed the actual date, so it doesn’t count. Since then I found that she likes chocolate cupcakes with white frosting, so I made a big one with two layers and found some decadent Belgian chocolate nonpareils to act … More When A Birthday Cake Is A Big Cupcake, and Lights Get Wavy
My friend and the neighborhood’s reigning matriarch had a birthday today. She didn’t want a big party this year, but next year, one of those zeroes, definitely a party because her son will be here from abroad come Hell or high water. (Ha! Literally.) We agreed to a small sit-down dinner instead of balancing plates … More German Chocolate Cake for Sylvia’s Birthday. She turns oopsie into comic gold.
As mentioned in the last post, the loaf of bread made from the eggy sourdough dough was intended for an Overnighter. Usually I make it the same way with a layer of fat challah slices and the custard soak with a bit of cinnamon sugar. Tonight I put it together in old-fashioned, white bread way, … More Overnight French Toast Strata, New Way with Eggy Sourdough
I almost negligently homicided my Montana Most Sour sourdough starter three days ago. For the first time in almost forever, I put the concoction in a glass bowl rather than the stainless steel and then put it in the oven with its film cover over night, as usual. I have a bright little piece of … More 4-Wheat Inside-Out Cranberry Rolls As Sourdough Survives Injury
Last month I bought a package of almond Danish at Trader Joe’s and didn’t like the texture, so I cut it in pieces and froze it with this in mind. Last night it was unfrozen, smashed and topped with custard makings, left to soak overnight in the fridge and then baked to perfection this morning. … More Sunday Almond Strata
I’ve joined NaNoWriMo this year with goal of completing the task during the onset of many gray days in Seattle, a sort of pick-me-up as I go along while the season gnaws at my will. 50,000 words in November. A new novel, approximately 200 pages, and, for me, it is the first draft of one … More Let’s Call It Southwestern Gratin
While Ms. McSquirrel enjoyed leftovers from the party a few days ago, today a smaller pumpkin was roasted, pureed and turned into a pie for three of us to have a dinner slice and another for breakfast, made in a non-traditional manner. Next time I will make the pie they both expected, using famous recipe … More Pumpkin, Dumpkin, Snick Snack
Ms Chef in Seattle 