Busy as a Bee

Everything here is busy, busy, busy. 

Signs of Spring in our home may be different than in other's as we are in the thick of things 

concerning work. It's been almost six months since my last simulator evaluation, 

so it's time to be re-tested, time to get organized to leave the country for 5 months 

and I need a new medical for work. 

Poor Jordan had an 'ouchie' incident the other day involving a tooth which he can 

no longer call his own... So no simple and easy on that end of things either. 

We're up to our ears, hoping all goes smoothly to plan. 

*************

Oh! Projects! And how I love them!

Anyway, hopefully Templepatrick (my Northern Ireland home) will be a wee bit of a 

restful place in time, once I get all settled in and comfortable with the job there. 

Departure is less than a month away!

There'll be time for all sorts in the tranquilness of the Emerald Isle...

I'm really excited about taking my camera, visiting Brown's Coffee House and my knitting club, 

the night life (possibly not so tranquil), the market, 1000 shades of green, 

more hiking in the Mournes, exploring further and in more detail 

and baking a few cakes from the Sweetapolita Bakebook , too.

It'll be my birthday after all.

Nevertheless birthday's can't go forgotten... 

and it was Allison's early celebration just last weekend. 

We took a long walk at Fish Creek Park. 

It's almost like you've left the city there. 

Very, very nice and also well used, at least on a sunny Sunday.

The deep dark chocolate cake in those cupcakes, leaves one satisfied. 

(or wanting more? I'm both at once I guess!)

The frosting is creamcheese. The ganache is sprinkled in sanding sugar. 

We ate them fiend-like in the parking lot after 

a long and fruitless attempt to light all six candles at once.

Then we needed water. 

Cupcakes are often too dry for me. These three-tablespoons-only of flour type fixed that.

Allison gave me the recipe book. I made the cupcakes.

Life is all about giving! (Sugar, Chocolate, Cheese...)

Stay tuned for some details concerning our mid summer holiday plans!!! :)

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Building Project - Largest Shed EVER!

Contrary to popular belief, I actually do other things than make, eat and dream about cake.

For example, Jordan and I met my brother and his wife 

on Salt Spring to do a project for my mom. 

As it turns out, I also love building, being outside and doing fun stuff with my family. 

All things I'd like to do more of... 

Not sure where to find all the time though!

I didn't start taking pictures at the beginning, because I forget things like that.

Here, the years-ignored foundation and upright logs have received some TLC in the form of bracing. My lack of strength and skill meant one of my jobs was bolting everything together. 

And the trusses were delivered. 

I am not the only one who loved the hydraulic lift on the delivery truck.

All muscles took a satisfied sigh at the sight!

Just about finished securing the trusses in place.

Now they're even braced.

The decking for the metal roof has begun, while my brother puts up the facia. 

All fancy pants angles while I went about screwing. 

Screwing haha! Screwing down the decking.

Screws have an interesting history. 

Read One Good Turn to find out all about them, in a Bill Bryson style presentation. 

Admiring one half of the roof decked. I told you it was BIG.

(Probably wishing it weren't solid, as more material wouldn't need to be purchased, 

and we might just be done already) 

However, in reality those two are more likely discussing hops and ale. 

But it looks like they're talking about the roof. Which is a convenient cover...

And a view from underneath.

It might seem I wasn't helping at all, but as it turns out I was the only one taking photos.

I really am more industrious than these photos suggest.

We worked steadily, except in torrential downpour, visited no one, 

ate and slept - which I think means we used our time as wisely as possible. 

Unfortunately we had to leave at this unfinished point, on the nicest day!!! 

Not to worry though, we left my brother to finish up! 

Good bye Fulford Harbour! See you soon I hope! 

Actually we had one interruption, in which Jeff cut me a round from a tree. 

It's purpose is decorative - a rustic sort of serving platter... It's my new favourite item :) 

Which means it'll be showing up sooner or later.

In the meantime it's filling my Calgary kitchen with a fantastic Douglas fir forest aroma, 

which is undoubtedly part of my condo living hegira.

One day, I will again, live outside the city.

This is just the journey.

Belated Carrot Cake

Since I was alone for the Easter Long Weekend our Carrot Cake 

had to wait until Jordan came home.

That was A LOT of waiting for cake. 

...Even if I needed the time to study...

Studying, though, doesn't really take your mind off eating. 

Or cake for that matter.

Since we wanted cake, with layers, but not too much of it, 

I made one cake round into 'half' of a four layer cake.

I was excited to try this scalloped icing technique 

I've recently seen decorating many pretty cakes all over Pinterest.

I was most intrigued by the use of these scallops on partially naked cakes and paired with flowers.

I really need to find a florist where I can purchase interesting and gorgeous single stems, 

like Queensberry in Vancouver (hello cutest little flower shop!!!), but, you know, closer to me.

Like in the vicinity of where I live.

I used the vertical technique here (imagine the cake round and therefore turned so it sits upright)

but I also saw a nifty idea where it's used circularly and horizontally on a tiered cake.

Maybe that's an idea for my birthday! 

With flowers!

I have a recipe I regularly use, in which I like to put raisins, but that's obviously optional.

I prefer to put toasted walnuts of the exterior because I like the crunchy addition to the texture.

However, I adjusted the recipe to incorporate an apple and sour cream, 

which made the cake moister (my favourite cake adjective).

I then made cream cheese icing 

(after all, what is a carrot cake without cream cheese icing, really?)

for the filling (I added cinnamon and nutmeg and finely chopped toasted walnuts)

and the outer icing, using:

1 cup Cream Cheese, room temp

1/2 cup Butter, room temp

Cream these together well, then fluff for a minute on high, then add:

1 tsp Vanilla

3 cups Icing Sugar (added in parts)

Mix together well and fluff of a higher setting for another minute or so.

If you fluff it too long you'll get air bubbles, like I did, 

which is less visually appealing, however, just as tasty. 

Try not to answer the phone or turn your laundry around as I probably did 

while I was waiting for the fluffing action to take effect...

The Carrot and Apple Cake:

(yield: one cake that can be split)

Whisk together and set aside:

1 cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

scant 1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

3/4 cup Sugar (1/2 brown, 1/4 white)

Whip together until frothy:

1 Egg

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

1 tsp Vanilla

Mix in until well distributed:

1/3 cup Sour Cream

1 Apple, grated on the larger holes (about 3/4 cup)

1 Carrot, medium sized, grated on the smaller holes (about 3/4 cup)

Add the flour mixture gently, mixing until incorporated and smooth.

Add raisins if you like!

Pour into an 8"round greased and floured pan, and 

bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 40 minutes.

If you want to make it flat remember to rap on the counter a few times, 

increase the heat to 375 F and wrap the pan in a wet towel!

To Dye, Or Not to Dye...

...Your Egg Yolks...???

Yes, that's the question, and I think so.

A little egg-respect:

I love eggs. From a scientific and engineering point of view they are pretty amazing. 

As a food they are nutritious and delicious and so simple. 

Delicate perhaps, but each one comes wrapped in it's own perfect package and it keeps, 

especially refrigerated, for quite a long time.

I think an egg is a beautiful thing!

I like my eggs soft or hard boiled, in quiche, baking and mousses...

And deviled, obviously.

Today, like most days when I have the chance, I have been playing with eggs. 

Chicken eggs usually. (Store bought ones, unfortunately) 

Deviled was on the menu. (or is that devilled, devil-ed...? apparently a consensus hasn't been reached)

Because it's Easter! 

Or because I read this/looked at the photos. 

More likely the photos. 

Probably.

I like how this photo captures a retro feel. 

Did you watch American Hustle?

(If you didn't, you should)

That era.

Sydney's dresses, clothes and accessories... Amazing. Covet them.

Some of Irving's are pretty interesting, too.

I decided to try baking my eggs to "hard boil". 

Cooking times are longer at higher altitudes, and by longer, I mean a lot longer!!! 

The perfect soft boiled egg would be hard at sea level...

So I'll have to try that about hundred times more before I attain perfection, 

because 35-40 minutes in the oven gives you the ideal soft boil. 

But I want them hard!

Also when Jessica [howsweeteats] mentions it's not easy to remove the yoke from her up-right, 

totally awesome looking, non-standard deviled eggs. I'd agree. 

So mine 

(the survivors of the cutting and what appears to have been smashing, but I promise you wasn't) 

are the usual.

Roasted garlic entirely makes these eggs sing! 

Yes, I know they're not hatched and never will be, but those cute little eggs are singing!

Only now I wish I'd dyed my yolks yellower before piping back into the whites. 

Is that a thing? Do people do that?

I want to. 

And I just might! 

Happy Easter by the way!

I'm off to buy blue cheese!

Because, you know, we pretty much ALWAYS have bacon... :)

Black Forest Plus (Plus, Plus)

Black Forest Cake

- a moist and tender delight -

Three 'flat' cakes tall.

In this case,

 the whipped cream is a vanilla mascarpone whipped cream, 

the cherries are drunk, 

and the top is covered in a thick layer of Belgian ganache.

Mmmmmmmmm

I've been waiting for chocolate.

I love you, Chocolate, I do!

The cake was (I say was because I think it disappeared already) a very tall cake.
It was really decadent and delicious, though rather messy to cut.
Baking the layers 'flat' really helped with stability. 
As did the bamboo stick with which I impaled the centre of the cake. 
But next time, can't everyone just come to my place? 

I shouldn't have added juice along with the cherries in the centre well in each layer of the filling.
That was probably the main engineering faux pas. 

Specifically in terms of transportation. 

One I'd prefer never to take on again.

I would liken the roads in Calgary to Emmantaler and Gruyère.

But it was totally worth it for a great family birthday get together!

Make three chocolate cake layers. See my previous post on getting flat top results.

Ganache - make first because it needs to cool.

Chocolate, chopped, 350g

Put aside in a bowl you'll add all ingredients to in the end. (heatproof)

Whipping cream, 1 cup

Salt, 1/8 tsp

Corn Syrup, (Actually I always use maple!!! This would be the Canadian difference), 1/6 cup

Put these in a sauce pan, stir together and when it reaches a boil, pour over chocolate.

Whisk until smooth.

Then add,

Butter, 4 tbsp

Vanilla, 1/2 tbsp

and stir until completely smooth. 

It's runny now but thickens as it cools to room temperature or hardens in the fridge.

Mascarpone Filling

Mascarpone, 1 cup, (mine was homemade)
Whip until smooth with the paddle attachment, then add
Icing Sugar, 2 cups
Vanilla, 2 tsp, (it's so nice with those bean flecks!)
beating slowly at first and maybe adding in two parts to prevent sugar snowing all over you kitchen.
when that's all nice and smooth add
Whipping cream, 1 cup
and beat on medium until thickened.

Drunken Cherries
Frozen Cherries, whole bag
Rum, enough to coat the cherries

Assemble as seen in the photo above. 
Use a piping bag to make a mascarpone dam so the cherries stay put in each layer. 
Don't add juice like I did - in fact make sure to squeeze them a bit!

P.S.

You'll likely have left over ganache... It make a fab snack when you scoop it with a spoon 
and then dunk it in freshly ground coffee.

*******

The little star-wheel-Dresden became a pillow.

Far from perfect, but I learnt a lot about sewing. 

I suppose I'll give it a break for a while as things get ultra busy at work,

then attempt a slightly larger undertaking using fabric 

purchased for that particular project.

I struggled with the thickness of the fabric I used for binding, the slipperiness of the orange fabric, (although I rather like the way it pleated itself at all the points of the star) 

and the stretchiness of the dark blue fabric.

I followed the careful instruction of Amy Gibson from 2012's Craftsy Block of the month 
and found that it was possible for me to sew... and maybe even quilt.

Not as easy as she makes it look however.

But I'm sitting here on it right now!

Cherry Chapstick

A little fruity, minty, muddled creation came about this evening. 

It feels like Spring here in Calgary which is what made me decide I needed to buy mint... 

It's been in salad and sandwiches, so why not add it to some drinks? 

The giant cake you'll see soon didn't quite use up all the cherries 

so they have also been incorporated. No wasting allowed! 

Hence, the Cherry Chapstick. 

As good for the lips as the tongue, tasted slowly by all my taste buds. 

Mint

Cherry juice

Club Soda

Cherries

Sugar

Lemon juice

Ice

Rum

Those were so good we wanted more - but since we were out of cherry juice - 

Overnight Orange was invented.

Peach and mango juice

Club soda

Lemon juice

Sugar

Mint and cherries

Ice

Rum

Drink too many and you will be staying overnight. 

Since we live here, we thought that was just fine.

For the Sake of Polka Dots

Okay, okay, I know polka dots are for little girls.

But aren't little girls for admiring?

They're cute, right? Just like the dots they might be wearing.

So, along this way of thinking, adults can enjoy looking at polka dots without feeling too silly.

Or so I tell myself.

In case you're interested, my testing is complete. 

Baking a 'flat topped cake' is actually possible. 

Here's how:

1. Tap against the counter a few times before putting in the oven.

2. Make strips of rag, as I've done in the photo below, 

soak them and attach around pan with safety pins. 

It is important not to have them too thick or else your edges will not bake.

3. I found, in my oven, raising the temperature 25 degrees worked perfectly, 

though I still had to bake the cake for almost double the time I regularly would have.

******

Hazelnuß...

Also for coffee addicts, or just people nuts about nuts, who like flavouring in their drinks,

who would prefer something less palm-oily and glucose-fructose-y, than say liquid whitener,

here's an easy and tasty creamer to make yourself.

All you need to purchase is a cup of hazelnuts, 

which you must soak overnight (raw is what I used and let's say for 12-24 hours),

- the rest is likely in your cupboard already -

 vanilla (a bean would be nice) and a tablespoon of liquid honey.

Drain the nuts and blend with 2 cups fresh water in your high powered blender for one minute.

Pour through cheese cloth (a clean dish towel will work fine) and squeeze.

This will give you approximately 2 cups of hazelnut juice, aka hazelnut creamer, 

which you can re-blend with vanilla and honey as you desire.

It should keep for four days in the fridge. If you still have it around by then ;)

Plus you've also got yourself some ground hazelnuts!

(We've tasted them in cake and cookies)

*****

For the Love of Creating

I'll share a few photos simply for the love of making stuff, 

and also because I'd like to show you I don't actually just bake cake all day. 

I even have a real job. Fancy that. LOL.

Every so often I get the urge to sew something. 

This is not to say I have any kind of talent or knowledge in this area. 

Usually I haven't really got much on hand, like with this project, 

so it's really just a recycle of oddments project.

**My mom is a very good sewer of everything, but she seems to have forgotten to teach me.**

(she did however make me some very excellent Hallowe'en costumes)

1. Maybe she'll offer to teach me now that I'm pointing this out!  

2. Even with my very basic skills, 

I've managed to make something as cool as this Dresden type star,

which  I just had to show you. 

What it'll become, I do not know.

However, for the record, I'll just say,

You should certainly have your cake and eat it, too.

Otherwise that would be wasteful. 

And you can always share it!