Real talk:

I’ve never once made an Angel Food Cake.

Real talk:

It has scared the heck out of me.

Wait… I need how many eggs?  Wait… I don’t grease the pan?  Hold on just a second… I have to hang the cake upside down!?

What is this?  Is this science?  Is this some sort of trick?

Real talk:

I finally made my own Angel Food Cake.

Real talk:

There were only two moments during the making and cooling of this cake that I thought I had completely ruined the whole thing.  I hadn’t.  I was just kinda freaking out for no good reason.

Real talk:

You need a fancy pan (not that fancy, it’s just a tube pan), and enough faith to hang this cake upside down for a bit… but it’s totally worth it.  These are true words.

Angel Food Cake, if you’re unfamiliar, is a super light cake made from eggs whites… lots of egg whites.

This particular recipe calls for a dozen large egg whites.

I’m totes making ice cream with the yolks… trust.

You’ll also need a bit of flour, sugar, and salt.

Without these things… you’d probably just have a frittata.  That’s not cake.

Egg whites get beaten to medium peaks.  Sugar is added, so they’re a bit glossy.

Dreamtown.

Once the eggs are beaten, you gently fold in the dry ingredients.

Folding is different from stirring.  Folding flour into egg whites means swooping the spatula from the bottom of the bowl, over atop itself.  Bring egg whites from the bottom up and over.  We’re incorporating ingredients without deflating the eggs.

That’s a full, ungreased cake pan.

Ungreased!?  Yea…  don’t freak out.  I kinda did.  We use an ungreased pan so that the egg whites have something to hold on to (the pan) as they rises.

Oh man… that’s baked.

Make sure you give the cake the skewer test.  A skewer is poked inside of the cake, and if it comes out dry… perfect!

A wet/underbaked cake will sink as it cools.  Not cool.

Smash some sugar and vanilla bean into sliced strawberries.  Let rest in the fridge while the cake cools (upside down) ((totally weird and awesome)).

As the cake cools, it will begin to separate itself from the sides of the pan.  Phew.  When the came comes out of the oven you’ll (if you’re anything like me) wonder how the dang cake is going to be removed from the pan.

After cooling… it totally wants to come out.  It may need a little coaxing with a butter knife… but I promise… with a little tapping and fudging, youre golden!

This cake is light as air and sweet as sugar… because there’s totally sugar in here.

The strawberry topping is a simple mixture of sliced strawberries, sugar and vanilla bean.  Add a touch of whipped cream.

hi.

hello.  hey.

so.  i made this rice pudding, then i stood in my kitchen and ate it from the pot with a tiny spoon.  a really tiny spoon.

i just stood there and ate half the batch.

i discovered then, that this recipe should just be called The Milk and Stir.

or What To Make When You’re Having a Weird Day and You Need to Eat Something Warm, and Sweet, and Starchy… and You Wish You Could Just Sit Around All Day, But You Can’t…. So You Just Stand in Your Kitchen and Eat This Pudding Like It’s Nobody’s Business… Cause It’s Totally Nobody’s Business.

Ok.  The Milk and Stir is catchier.

Have you ever made rice pudding with risotto rice?

It’s luxurious.  Risotto (Arborio) rice is different from long grain, white rice.  It’s more starchy and cooks into a creamy texture.  The cooking method is different too!  Instead of simmering rice in water, small amounts of liquid are added too cooking rice.  The rice slowly absorbs the liquid as you stand over the stove and stir.  Stir Stir Stir… for about fifteen minutes.  It’s actually the perfect amount of time to zone out and solve the problems that have caused you to stress out and make rice pudding in the first place… but maybe that’s just me.

I like to cook this rice pudding up into a looser texture by adding more milk.  The rice is so starchy that it really thickens, especially when cold.

Oh!  This dessert also has brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla bean.  It’s sweet, starchy, and the rice has just the slightest toothsome bite.

You best believe I’ve made rice pudding before.  If you don’t have Arborio rice, how about Jasmine Rice Pudding or Brown Rice Pudding?  I’ve got you covered.

Oh.  I almost forgot.  I love you.  I mean that.

I know what you’re thinking.

You:  Seriously, Joy!?  You expect me to come hear and read about how to make sugar!?

Me:  Um… yes?  But it’s not just sugar.  It’s sugar with fancy stuff in it.

You:  Skeptical.  This is still sounding lame.

Me:  But there’s a cute jar and fancy ribbon too!  Plus… bonus!  I busted out the good cutting board and the fancy doily for your viewing pleasure.

You:  Hm…. dazzle me.

Me.  I’m trying!  Geeeez.

I really love making flavored sugars.

They make me feel fancy.

They make the boring coffee I make for myself every morning feel like a special treat.

You can rub all kinds of citrus zest into sugar, creating a super fragrant lemon sugar or grapefruit sugar.

But my absolute favorite is sugar heavily scented with vanilla beans and lavender blossoms.

I mean.. just look at that!  Tiny vanilla bean specks and beautiful dried lavender blossoms!  It’s like your sugar went to the spa and got one of those fancy rubdowns.

Pretty jars and pretty bowls are pretty rad.

Now… obviously this sugar is a super great gift with, say… a half pound of coffee beans.  But… what would happen if you just kept it for yourself and treated yourself to a fancysugar cup of coffee every morning?  Magic.  That’s what would happen.

It’s the little things… with bows.

My friend Whitney gave me this jar last week.  Um… I know I was supposed to do something else with this jar, Whit.  But now it has sugar in it.  So… Yea…. I’m kinda busted.  You can totally have the jar back.  I hope you like Lavender Vanilla Sugar.  Oh!  Ps.  I’m taking half of this sugar out of the jar before I give it back… it’s really good and I’m shellfish.

So what’s the deal with this Buttery Sweet Dough Bakery Emulsion?

A few of you asked what this mysterious stuff was…  you seemed pretty serious… I don’t want to get beat up.

Let me tell you about this baking gunk.  

Buttery Sweet Dough Bakery Emulsion is like a baking extract… like a vanilla or an artificial butter extract… except it’s not really anything like that at all.  This product has no alcohol like extracts do.  The thought is that an emulsion will hold its flavor better in baked goods because the flavor won’t bake off with the heat.

What’s the flavor like?  It’s buttery with the ooooh so slight hint of citrus.  

Can I tell you a secret?  I lovelove lovelove the taste of boxed cake mix.  I do.  It’s terrible, I know… but sometimes chemicals are delicious.  There’s just some inexplicable flavor that gives me the yums.  This Butter Sweet Dough emulsion gives cakes and frosting that extra something… that thing I can’t put my finger on… that extra cake mix yum.  Aaaaand… that’s why I like it.   Because it makes my cakes have that cake mix taste without having that cake mix taste.  It’s like a little sprinkle of sugar drugs into my baked goods.  

I add this stuff to some cakes and cookies, cupcakes and frosting.  I go full force with the vanilla extract and then add half as much of this emulsion gunk.  I say gunk with love and respect… duh.

Where are you going to find this stuff?  Use your internets…. they never disappoint.  

I figured it out!

I finally figured out the answer to all of those desert island questions!  You know… if you were stranded on a desert island blah blah blah…  It turns out the answer is always always always hot fudge.

Watch.  I’m sure you’ll agree.

Q:  If you were trapped on a desert island, what one food would you want with you?

A:  Hot fudge (and vanilla ice cream) for eternity.

Q:  If you were trapped on a desert island and had one book with you, what would it be?

A:   Gone with the Wind… covered in hot fudge.

Q:  If you were trapped on a dessert island would you prefer waterproof matches or a broken down sail boat?

A:  Um… hot fudge?

Q:  Desert island roommate:  George Clooney or Gerard Butler?

A:  This is a trick question… obviously.  Gerard Butler with a side of hot fudge.

See?  Hot fudge.  Always the right answer.  Amazing.

I’m pretty sure that hot fudge is one of life’s little miracles.  It’s perfect.  I happen to love chocolate paired with coffee.  The coffee flavor deepens the chocolate flavor.  The two are best friends in my book.  Hot fudge over vanilla ice cream?  Few things in this life are better.

These are pretty, right?  Hot diggity dang, I think they’re precious.  

In the middle of frosting these cupcakes I looked down at my hands.  No big deal.  I was simply looking down at the cupcake in one hand, and frosting covered knife in the other.  I had to see what I was doing, right?  When I looked down at this particular moment, I saw… my grandmother’s hands.  There they were, the worn and wrinkled hands that had absolutely fascinated me as a child… only now spotted with powdered sugar and tinted with food coloring.  

When I was a kid I would hold my grandmother’s hand in my lap and study it like it like I might study my favorite picture book.  Somehow her hands weren’t at all different from reading an intricate a story.  

So there I was, frosting a cupcake with my grandmother’s hands.  The image was so strong that I even put down the cupcake and knife and bent my left index finger with my right hand.  It ached a little.  I don’t know why.  And just like that… those hands were gone from me.  

That was simultaneously perplexing and so comforting.  I had to share that with you…  I now only hope that I live long enough for my hands to be read like a story book.  

Now let’s talk cupcakes!

Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty.  Pretty… right?

I’m proud of these little gems.  I’m even more proud of the fact that it only took one stick (otherwise known as 8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup or 4 ounces) of butter to make both the cupcake aaaaaaaand the frosting.  That’s bonkers, right?  I know! Just three tablespoons of butter for the dozen cupcakes and 5 tablespoons for the buttercream. Who says you need a pound of butter for cupcakes?  

Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

     adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

     makes 12 cupcakes

     Print this Recipe!

1 cup all-purpose flour

a scant 3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or use a handheld beater and beat on slow speed until the mixture is a sandy consistency and everything is combined.  Gradually pour in half of the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.  

Whisk the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated.  Scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side or the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Continue mixing until the batter is smooth.  Just a few minutes.  Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into paper lined muffin tins, dividing between the 12 cups.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.  

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

     from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook

     makes enough for 12 cupcakes, double this recipe to frost an 8-inch cake

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons whole milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the powdered sugar and butter together in an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment on medium low speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.  Turn the mixer speed to low.  Combine the milk and the vanilla extract and slowly stream it into the butter and sugar mixture.  Once incorporated, turn the mixer to high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.  The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.  If you find that your frosting is getting to warm in the summer months, stop beating and set in the fridge for a few minutes.  Once chilled, hook the frosting back up the the mixer and beat once more until you reach the desired consistency.

I don’t do dishes in the morning.  Dishes are no way to start the day.

While I am all about a big, fat, kitchen wrecking breakfast- morning clean up is absolutely nowhere in my early day itinerary.

The reality is, I may not get to have that perfect, sunny morning weekend wake up experience everday.  I am convinced, however, that there’s a way to put a smile on my face every morning… even if you have to force it on with a wrench.

When I’m in no mood to get out of bed and start my day I give myself this little speech in my head:  Joy,  stop being such a crabby pants.  Get out of bed, go put on that big robe that feels like a combination of cloud and kitten and make yourself breakfast without setting those robe sleeves on fire.  While you’re treating yourself to a fine morning… go ahead and take a break from those breakfast dishes.  You’ve done enough work just getting out of bed… The dishes can wait.

And just like that, the ugly Monday morning isn’t as nasty a beast as I thought.

Make Monday morning Vanilla Brown Sugar Breakfast Polenta, and let the dirty pan soak in the sink until you get home from work.  Live a little… don’t do the dishes.

What’s the deal with polenta?

Here’s what you need to know:  polenta is ground white or yellow cornmeal.  It is boiled with water or milk and made into a warm and super pleasing porridge.  The mixtures cooks up smooth and creamy and can be made either sweet or savory according to your needs.

The Moretti polenta I used is straight from Italy, although you can find it here it the states.  It’s dreamy.  The Moretti family has been making polenta in Lombardy since 1922.  Their corn is air dried then stone crushed.  It’s the real deal.  The polenta meal comes in different levels of coarseness.  I chose the fine grain meal because it cooks up faster and I love the texture for breakfast food.

Note:  If you have leftover polenta, don’t dump it!  Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap, add the leftover cooked polenta and cover with the overhanging plastic wrap.  Throw it in the fridge for a night or two, and I’ll show you how to make fried polenta sticks next!

What would it feel like if vacations lasted forever?  Would it feel as good as I think it would?  Yes.  Yes, it would.

Reality hits hard after you’ve had days to let your brain ease into a happy mush.

I’m not complaining.  Does it sound like I’m complaining?  Ok… maybe a little.  It’s just hard to let vacation time slip out of my hands.

Maybe permanent vacation is like only eating these cookies for the rest of your days.  Sure, they have both chocolate and vanilla, but you can’t eat cookies forever.  They’d lose their cookie goodness.  Maybe permanent vacation would somehow start to feel like work.  Constant cookies and vacation? I’d be willing to experiment  just to see how the two would treat me after a few years.

While I’m day dreaming of vacations past, I’d like to send a big fat thank you to my darling friends who hosted us this weekend.

Britt is one of my few friends who actually still has a land line.  Phone with a cord!?  Well done.

Seattle is a great city.  A big thank you for all of your Seattle suggestions.  I actually used to live in Seattle so this vacation was half sightseeing and half old stomping ground good times.

Now… cookies.

1. Sift flour and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla bean or extract. Gradually add flour mixture; mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
2. Remove half of the dough; set aside. Add cocoa powder and chopped chocolate to remaining dough; mix on low speed until well combined. Turn out chocolate dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 10-inch log, about 1-inch wide and 1/2-inch tall. Repeat with reserved vanilla dough. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until slightly firm, at least 30 minutes.
3. Remove the chilled doughs from the fridge.  Brush the top of the chocolate piece with a bit of a remaining egg white.  This will help the chocolate and vanilla stick together.  Press the vanilla piece on top of the moistened chocolate piece.  Press lightly.  Rewrap dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick rounds; space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If dough becomes too soft to slice cleanly, return to freezer until firm.  Sprinkle course sea salt onto the chocolate half of the cookies.  Press in lightly with fingertips.
5. Bake until firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Something happened last night-

It involved me, my space heater, a few comforters, season one of Pushing Daisies, a spoon, and an entire container of chilled rice pudding.

I realized two things last night. One: while Pushing Daisies is beautiful and charming, it’s almost too sweet. It is still, however, an effective way to wish away three hours of a Sunday evening. Two: Yes, my stomach does have the capacity to hold about 8 cups of rice pudding. How awesome is that!?

I ate the whole thing. Fact. Every last creamy, soft, raisin studded, vanilla bite. And the truth? I’d do it all again tonight if I could… and I can… but I won’t. Does that make sense?

This Rice Pudding might be best shared with your family. It’s Super Comfort.  If comfort became a super hero and came to save the day, it would come in the form of this rice pudding.

If you do have to eat the entire thing by yourself, under your covers on a cold night, well…that’s not such a hard cross to bear, is it?

Black. White.

Chocolate. Vanilla.

Cake. Cookie.

My favorite cookies, ever.

Yes. I can have it all.

I insist on eating down the center of these cookies. When the center is devoured, I simply stuff the remainder of the chocolate and vanilla sides into my face. It’s the only way I know how to approach one of these cookies.

Simon asked me to choose.

If I could only have one side of the cookie for the rest of my life, what would it be: chocolate or vanilla?

Impossible. That’s exactly why the black and white cookie was invented, so I wouldn’t have to choose!

I won’t choose. I refuse. I can’t enter your world of black and white choices. Nothing is that simple. AND I live in a world where I can have both. BOTH! I want both, and I don’t mind being a brat about it.

Thanks Simon for these killer cookie shots.