A Boy and a Cupcake

It's another beautiful summer day off for me!  No sleeping in, though -- it was early-to-rise this morning to make cupcakes for my friend Sarah.  It's her son-in-law's birthday.  She only wanted a dozen, and I don't know how to make only a dozen, so I made 21 cupcakes.  Just as I was finishing them up, I heard a little voice and footsteps coming up the stairs to my apartment.  "Gwa!" (that's Henry-speak for Grandma) and there was Henry at my door.  He saw the cupcakes and for the first few minutes just looked at them with awe and curiosity.  Then he asked me for one.  It's 9 a.m.  He's still in his pajamas.  I thought about it.  I said, "No, these are for later."  Definitely not.  No way.  Then he looked at me with those eyes.  I caved.  I'm such a lightweight.  There are photos as evidence, but his mother doesn't need to know about this.  After all, the sign on my kitchen wall releases me from all liability (doesn't it? - his lawyer-mother may argue that point!):

We're off to a day at the beach (Bolton Landing on Lake George, of course!)...Hope you have a great day as well!

Blueberry Sundaes with Pie Crust Cookies

It was another beautiful day in this part of New York State.  I've been on my own all weekend because Katie, Bill and the boys are camping in Lake George, on an island in the upper part of the lake near Hulett's Landing (camping with a baby!), and Russ is traveling this weekend for business.  Up until this evening, my only company has been Odie, the 5-year old Black Lab, who barks at the slightest noise (wind?) to let anyone coming close know that he's ferocious and they should be very afraid (he's not, and they shouldn't; he'd lick you to death).  So, to find a little excitement and take advantage of one of summer's oh-too-few perfect days, I once again headed north to Lake George, this time to Bolton Landing (big shocker to anyone who knows me). It was me, my book, and a towel, and my brand-new bottle of Coppertone #8 tanning lotion.  Yes, I am one of those rare Irish girls who doesn't burn (just like my mom who'd brown up like a berry in one afternoon).  I open that bottle of Coppertone and the scent immediately transports me back to the early 60s, with my family at the Peerless pool in Saratoga Springs.  Funny how scents can trigger memories like that.  There is no perfume that evokes such moments in time, for me, as the scent of Coppertone...

Anyway, I went by myself.  I travel pretty light, and sometimes find I'm my own best company (!).  It was one of those full-sun days and I lasted a max of 10 minutes before having to go in the water again.  I floated with my toes directed right at the Sagamore Hotel so I could savor the beautiful vision. Ten or so minutes floating like that is a great ab exercise!   It is so beautiful there.  Can't get enough.  After about two hours in and out of the water, it was time to pack up and head home to meet my son Jeff at my house, to finally experience a Saratoga summer night.  We walked up and down Broadway and stopped at Gaffney's for dinner, meeting up with all three of my sisters along the way, which was a happy coincidence.  Headed back to my car, we stopped for Italian Ice.  It didn't take long for me to remember that I get brain freeze very easily eating Italian Ice!  I suffered through it, because I love Italian Ice more than I hate brain freeze!

We probably stayed out too long, because it's past 12:30 a.m. and I am just now finishing up baking for tomorrow morning.  One thing on my baking to-do list, and blogging for-sure list, is blueberry sauce as the key component in my recipe for Blueberry Sundaes with Pie Crust Cookies.  It's not too hard to find uses for the gazillion blueberries we picked last weekend.  Mine were all frozen and then bagged up, residing now in an over-crowded freezer.   My personal twist on the sundae is that I will bake up pie crust cookies - you get all the flavor and luciousness (is that a word?) of blueberry pie a la mode, but with much less fuss and almost instant gratification.  It's just plain pretty, and there's nothing wrong with that!





Pie crust cookies - so simple

Blueberry sauce - even simpler!

Fun with blueberries

Blueberry Sundaes with Pie Crust Cookies

1 batch blueberry sauce, recipe here, still warm or reheated.
Your favorite vanilla ice cream (I like Stewart's Philly Vanilla)
Pie crust cookies - made from scratch or cut from pre-made crusts
Whipped cream

Oven - 425 degrees F
Cut cookie shapes from prepared pie crust, rolled out (I like larger cookies - a heart or flower are nice).
Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet just until edges begin to brown.  Watch this because ovens vary.  Cool completely on wire racks.

Assemble sundaes:

Place two cookies on individual dessert plates.  Add two scoops vanilla ice cream.  Ladle warm sauce over ice cream.  Give it a spritz of whipped cream.

Heaven on a plate.

Photos:  my own

Wiawaka Holiday House, Lake George, New York

I took a day off today.  Early this morning I delivered 2 dozen scones to Saratoga Physical Therapy Associates to thank them for restoring my back to a healthier state.  If you saw me six weeks ago, you wouldn't think I was the same woman.  My lower back was a mess and I was in extreme pain and barely functioning, though I continued to go to work every day. The staff at SPTA were so good to me, generous in their time, guidance, and encouragement.  My last treatment was today, and scones were not enough but the ony thing I could think of to convey my gratitude.  Such good people work there.  Some even read my blog now - many thanks especially to Kristin, Mike,  Matt, Tony, Jesse and Kim!

After that good start, the rest of my day off was terrific, too.  I joined my friend Catherine Golden and we spent an absolutely luxurious afternoon at Wiawaka in Lake George.  We packed lunches and met on the dock of the beautiful boat house.  It's $15 for a day visit, money very well spent.  We had a lot of catching up to do so we spent most of the time talking -- talking on the dock, and talking while were floating on our "noodles" on the lake.  I never even cracked open my copy of The Help that I've been meaning to read for months now.  Anyway...the water was cool, clear, and so refreshing.  It felt like we were so far away from reality, as if we were at a destination many miles away (though it is just a  half-hour north of Saratoga Springs).  Loved it. 

Lake George H20

I've written about this beautiful retreat a few times before, so this time I am offering you our afternoon in a collage of photos (click once or twice to enlarge), and a link here, and here, to previous posts.

Enjoy our day - we did!




Click to enlarge for a better view of a beautiful day!



Happy Birthday Lynn DiMenna with Your Raspberry Buttercream Frosting!

The adorable
Lynn DiMenna!

Today it is all about Lynn.  Her actual birthday is tomorrow, but tonight she's enjoying a bash for the big one -- her 40th birthday -- and she was self-confident/proactive/generous enough to arrange for her own birthday cake, to have the cake she really wanted!  She asked me if I would make it (to her specifications!) and I was sooooo very happy to.  Lynn is pictured here with her own baking specialty, pistachio cake which she's brought into the office to rave reviews!

Black and white marble cake with raspberry
buttercream and home-made fondant confetti!

Let me tell you a little bit about Lynn.  We both started working in the same office, just weeks apart.  It's been almost a year that I've enjoyed her company.  Lynn makes me laugh every single day.  She has the quickest wit.  I see her walking down the hall toward my desk, and I just smile because I know some gem will come out of her mouth and make my day better.  We have challenging jobs in a very busy office, and the workload can be overwhelming more often than not, for all of us.  Lynn greets each day with such positive energy.  She has that lovely combination of Irish and Italian genetics, much like my Cella (half-McGeehan) cousins.  She can be serious, funny, sentimental, sensitive, and bold all at the same time.  If you listen to her talk about her family, in her downstate New York accent (sounding so much like my cousins) especially about her children, or the mother she misses so, you hear her heart talking to you. 

I'm 17 years older than Lynn.  She is months younger than my oldest child, yet we seem like peers.  I said to her the other day "I could be your mother!" and then I thought, "Oh God!"

Every day that I question whether I'm in the right place, doing the job I'm destined to do, I'm beginning to think that maybe I am.  Maybe I was supposed to meet the people I work with now.  Maybe I was supposed to face a challenging new role and make a lot of mistakes and learn a little bit, even at the ripe old age of 57.  Definitely, I am fortunate to be working with people like Lynn who come together in a common mission, because our work has to be a team effort or it won't happen.  The challenges forge bonds of appreciation for each person's contribution.  We all have days when we would rather be somewhere else, anywhere else, doing anything else, but doesn't everyone?  I think so.

Surprise cupcakes for the
office celebration

For Lynn's office birthday surprise, I made dark chocolate cupcakes and raspberry buttercream frosting.  The cupcake recipe is my stand-by.  You can use a dark chocolate cake mix as well.  They're all very good.  Here's the recipe for my raspberry buttercream frosting:

RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
makes enough to generously frost 24+ cupcakes or a 9/10" round cake

Beat together in large mixer bowl:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (I know, but it's necessary for the body/texture you need)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon raspberry extract

Slowly add: 
2 lbs. confectioners sugar
1/2 cup milk
pink/rose food coloring if desired
(careful, it will want to fly out of the mixing bowl!)

Beat until smooth and creamy, adding more or less milk to get to your desired consistency.  Generously pipe or spread on cupcakes that are completely cooled.

Winney's Farm and Blueberries, Revisted!

This past weekend we went blueberry picking at Winney's farm north of Schuylerville, New York.  It's our second annual outing to pluck the biggest, juciest berries from loaded bushes.  At $2.25 a pound for pick-your-own, or around $7.00 a quart (worth it), a stop at Winney's can provide you with enough blueberries to keep you stocked for months.  I picked $11.00 worth, and since the brand new picking season is about six weeks long, I'll go back for more in August.  Katie picked more than twice as much as me, and Katie's in-laws, Richard and Sydney, picked even more.  I'll be freezing some (in a single layer, on a cookie sheet, and then zip-locked for the freezer) so they'll be available long after summer ends, which I can't think about right now because summer is my absolute favorite season.

It was a beautiful morning out in the blueberry fields, and people seemed to be happy to be there.  A few rows across, I heard an older man yell to his grown son, "We'll be having pancakes for dinner tonight!" and the son responded, "Oh yeah!"  Breakfast for dinner is a great thing, especially with just-picked blueberries in your pancakes!

I have plans for these berries.  Many will go into smoothies, pancakes, muffins and scones. Some will end up in pies, and others will become a thick, silky sauce for pancakes or ice cream.  But the one recipe I can't wait to try is from Williams-Sonoma for home baked breakfast pastries (a la home-made pop tarts!).  Seriously, home made pop tarts?  Yes!  I'll be posting that recipe in the next day or two with photos to show you how to make them in your own kitchen.  In the meantime, here are pics from our trip to Winney's farm.

As you can see, Pete was wiped out after the experience, but he gets to enjoy home-made blueberry babyfood.  Lucky little guy!

Margarita Ice Pops

Today I caused quite a stir on my facebook page when I posted a photo of my homemade coconut lime and vanilla banana ice pops.  I got comments like, "Do you deliver?" and "I'll be right over!" which made me laugh.  My own charming daughter Meghan (of legal age) begged for suggested Margarita ice pops so I did a little internet searching and found this recipe from the Food Network.  It's Emeril Lagasse's take on the Margarita ice pop, and it sounds delicious.  He uses the old-school method of Dixie cups, foil, and wooden sticks (ah, cute!) but I have my new handy-dandy rocket pop molds, and I think Margarita pops deserve a little more glitz than the standard paper cup.  But that's me.  Make these any way you want -- just make sure you have a designated driver if you down more than one of these on a hot summer day!

A little tamer - coconut lime
and vanilla banana ice pops from my freezer

If you're looking for something simpler and instant, you can start with store-bought lime pops and dip them in tequila and have the salt ready.  The photo on this post is one of those, and the recipe can be found here.  

I'm looking forward to finding recipes for banana daquiri and pina colada ice pops (thanks for the suggestion, Meggie!).  And if you're interested in making your own home-made fudgesicles, here's a recipe I posted a while back:  http://adirondackbaker.blogspot.com/2010/06/home-made-fudgesicles.html.  

So, have a pop, and chill!

Margarita Popsicles
from the Food Network and Emeril Lagasse


Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Kosher salt, for garnish


Special Equipment:
4 small cups (recommended: Dixie), 4 popsicle sticks


Directions:
Combine sugar, lime juice, water, lemon juice and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool transfer to a blender with tequila, orange liqueur, and lime wedge and process until smooth. Pour into the cups and cover the top of each cup with foil. Place the popsicle stick in center of cup (down through foil, which will hold it in place). Freeze until hard, preferably overnight. Remove from freezer and run cup under warm water to loosen popsicle. Garnish with kosher salt and serve. Enjoy!


Photo and short-cut recipe (above) borrowed from:  http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/ingrid-hoffmann/margarita-pops-recipe/index.html

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The 4th of July and Blueberry Pie!



Today my daughter Katie and her husband Bill are hosting a 4th of July get-together for their friends and a collection of grandparents (me being one!).  The weather is beautiful and it promises to be a terrific day for a party.  They are slow-roasting a pork shoulder on the grill, over indirect heat, to become pulled-pork sandwiches.  With that, she is serving coleslaw, salt potatoes, and other side dishes.  The star of the show, in my opinion, is the blueberry pie she baked last night.  It is beautiful!  She used America's Test Kitchen's recipe.  As Katie was assembling the ingredients, the aroma of blueberries and lemon zest smelled so fresh and delicious. 

The weekend leading up to the 4th was a lot of fun too.  Russ and I took a ride yesterday to Lake George, via Route 9N through Corinth and Lake Luzerne.  It is such a pleasant drive, especially realizing that the businesses on that route are enjoying the peak of their season, with hotels and restaurants busy all along the way.  There are a lot of great swimming spots heading north on 9N.  There's the town beach in Corinth along the river, Fourth Lake, Lake Luzerne, and more little lakes with names I can't remember.  I'll have to take the drive again soon.  The ride along 9-N is just so "Adirondack-y" and makes you feel as though you're driving through a giant outdoor vacation!  We ended up at the outlets near exit 20 of I-87 where we spent a little time and money, and headed home.  Then it was time for Henry and me to have a little one-on-one time.  We headed into Saratoga Springs for a ride on the carousel in Congress Park, and a walk around the park to see the ducks, followed by a visit to Ben and Jerry's.  We even stopped to see his Aunt Tricia at work.  He had such a good time, and I had fun just watching him enjoy it!

Henry on the carousel in Congress Park

Henry, Ben, and Jerry

Russ and I had dinner at The West Side Stadium and then went to a driving range in Milton to hit a bucket of golf balls.  I was so impressed with his ability to hit that ball and drive it 200+ yards, in the direction he actually intended!  At 6'4", he makes an impression as he takes perfect form hitting a golf ball.  His father was a golf pro and clearly, he's inherited the genes and talent.  Yet I, a foot shorter with a club too long for me (not that I'm making excuses), managed to repeatedly hit my ball 20 yards in no designated direction, sometimes bouncing the whole way.  There is definitely opportunity for improvement!  But we had fun, and it was a beautiful night, the sun setting in a pink-tinged sky. 

We came home and stopped in to Katie's kitchen to find THE blueberry pie just out of the oven, ready for today's celebration.  Though I was sorry to say good-bye to Russ this morning, I'm looking forward to a 4th of July with lots of sunshine, family, and fun.  I plan to appreciate every second before reality hits and I return to the daily grind tomorrow, though for a short week (woo hoo!).  Just can't get enough of days off, summer, or blueberry pie!

A snapshot of my 4th of July (click to enlarge!)

BLUEBERRY PIE
(America's Test Kitchen)

Foolproof Pie Dough
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water


Blueberry Filling
6 cups fresh blueberries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
2 teaspoons grated zest and 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons instant tapioca, ground
Pinch table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted better, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1. FOR THE PIE DOUGH: Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3. Remove 1 disk of dough from the refrigerator and roll on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch think. Roll dough loosely and rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate while preparing filling until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

4. FOR THE FILLING: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 3 cups berries in medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Using potato masher, mash berries several times to release juices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing occasionally, until about half of berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.

5. Place grated apple in clean kitchen towel and wring dry. Transfer apple to large bowl. Add cooked berries, remaining 3 cups uncooked berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca, and salt; toss to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling.

6. Roll out second disk of dough on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 11-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Using 1 1/4 inch round biscuit cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut around 6 rounds from dough, 1 1/2 inches from edge of center hole and equally spaced around center hole. Roll dough loosely around pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least 1/2 inch overhang on each side.

7. Using kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of overhanging dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with times of fork to seal. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture. If dough is very soft, chill in freezer for 10 minutes.

8. Place pie on heated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juice bubbles and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Pie:  my photo of Katie's blueberry pie!

Recipe borrowed from:  http://thebittenword.typepad.com/thebittenword/2008/06/blueberry-pie.html