Baking

The Sweet Smell of Christmas

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The sweet smell of ginger, cinnamon and cloves fills the air as I open our back door. My girls quickly drop their school bags and coats as they scramble in the house. Joyful grins light up their faces as they catch a whiff. The familiar spicy fragrance means something wonderful is coming, gingerbread.

Baking gingerbread cookies with my daughters is one our family’s most beloved holiday traditions. It doesn’t matter how many things I have left to do on my holiday list or how messy my kitchen looks when it’s covered in powdered sugar, when I sit down to decorate cookies it all fades away.

Gathered around our little kitchen table, what would have been an ordinary afternoon is suddenly a cookie party. There is so much excitement as the mixer whirs and whips up the frosting. I spoon the icing into pastry bags as fast as I can. We talk and laugh as we pipe little dots, dashes and swirls of icing. Fueled by secret “quality assurance” taste tests, my cookie artists soon create a trayful of masterpieces.

The story of this gingerbread cookie tradition began when I was in high school. However, now that my daughters love it as much as I do, it has become even more meaningful. Over the years they have helped me bake, taste and create our own ultimate gingerbread cookies recipe. The key I have found is rolling the dough out thick and then being careful to pull them out the oven the moment they begin to show signs of a crinkle on top.

Gingerbread Cookies- Makes about 2 dozen

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
  • 2 tablespoons orange blossom honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

First, in the bowl of a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Next, add in the molasses, honey, vanilla and eggs and beat on medium speed for a minute. Then add in the baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and flour. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together.

Place half of the dough on a lightly floured surface or silicone baking mat, and using a floured rolling pin roll the dough out till it is 1/3 of an inch thick. Cut with holiday cookie cutters and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Continue until all the dough is used.

Bake for 6 to 7 minutes. Allow cookies to cool before decorating.

Royal Icing

  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder
  • 7 tablespoons water

In the bowl of the electric mixer mix add in the powdered sugar, meringue powder and water. Mix on medium low for about 3 to 4 minutes.

Place icing into pastry bags fitted with writing tips. Have a small cup of water to dip your finger in to smooth any pointy icing dots or seams. Another tip is when baking with kids, use a rubber band to secure the back of the pastry bag so the icing stays inside.

Note meringue powder can be found online at the King Arthur Baking Company or at a craft store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

So, share a little happiness this holiday season with our family’s gingerbread cookies. Baking Christmas cookies makes the world a little sweeter and brighter. One chewy gingery bite and these cookies will have you signing a holiday tune and wanting to host your own cookie party.

My two bakers making cookies for Santa last Christmas.

Happy holiday baking!

Food

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

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Southern Living Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

The holiday season is right around the corner and this time of year, everyone needs a good seasonal casserole. Something that you can make ahead and then all you have to do is put it in the oven to bake. Toss together a quick salad and dinner is ready to go. My favorite is a chicken and wild rice recipe that I clipped from an older reader’s recipe column from Southern Living years ago.

Now I know that canned soup has a reputation that sometimes precedes it, but in this dish I happen to like it. Some nights making a sauce from scratch just isn’t in the cards. No matter how much you like to cook, there are times when you just need something easy. Chicken and wild rice casserole is a crowd pleasing favorite. It’s perfect for a weeknight meal, family gatherings or sharing a meal with a friend in need.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole (adapted from Southern Living/ Leslie Flemister) Serves 6

  • 1 box of Ben’s quick cooking wild rice
  • 1/4 cup butter, divided
  • 2 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
  • 1 rotisserie chicken shredded into bite sized pieces (about 2 cups)
  • 1 (8oz) container of sour cream
  • 1 (10oz) cream of chicken and mushroom soup
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 3 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Prepare the wild rice according to the package instruction using the seasoning packet.

Next, in a medium sized skillet melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the celery and the onion and cook until tender.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the rice, the cooked celery and onions, the cream of chicken and mushroom soup, sour cream, salt and pepper. Then fold in 1½ cups of the cheddar cheese.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the panko breadcrumbs and stir to coat them in the butter toast them slightly for about 2 minutes.

Now assemble the casserole. Evenly spread the rice mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Next, sprinkle the top with the remaining 1½ cup cheddar cheese and the bread crumbs.

If serving immediately, bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bread crumbs are a golden brown.

You can refrigerate the casserole and bake it later. Just cover the top with aluminum foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking and bake for 40 to 45 minutes removing the foil after the first 20 minutes so the bread crumb topping turns a golden brown.

A delicious dinner made easy with the help of some rotisserie chicken and wild rice. Flexibility is key when it comes to getting dinner on the table. I like that I can make it that same night or make it ahead and bake it the next day.

Call me sentimental, but sometimes there is nothing like the comfort of a creamy rice and cheese casserole. This one just seems to hit all the right notes.

Food

Beef and Spinach Spanakopita

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Greek Spanakopita

Every year by the end of August it feels like there is an urgency to get to fall. Everyone is decorating and talking about it. However, I for one happen to love late summer and I have no intention of cutting its celebration short. August and early September is when summer produce is at its peak. It’s this magical time in cooking when summer corn, tomatoes, squash, okra and berries are at their sweetest. My garden is currently bursting with tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh herbs. I have now taken to sharing them with friends. We can’t possibly eat it all but that hasn’t stopped me from trying.

Large Greek salads are a mainstay at my house this time of year. So, I thought I would share my recipe for beef and spinach spanakopita. It’s delicious any time of year, but it happens to be a wonderful main dish to serve with all those fabulous late summer salads.

Beef and Spinach Spanakopita -makes 14

  • 1 (10 ounce) container or two small (5oz) bags baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ¼ pounds ground beef or lamb
  • 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 (8oz) block of feta cheese, diced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 package of phyllo dough (12×17 sized), defrosted
  • 10 tablespoons of butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

First sauté the fresh spinach. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add about half of the spinach to the pan and then stir and allow it to cook down for a minute or so before adding the rest of the spinach. Cook the spinach for and additional 2 minutes and add in ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Then remove the spinach from the pan and allow it to cool while cooking the meat filling.

Using the same skillet add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Then add the onion and cook it until it just begins to turn translucent. Then add in the garlic and the ground beef. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir and continue to cook until the meat is browned and cooked through. Pour off any grease from the meat filling mixture and place it in a large mixing bowl.

Next, drain the cooled spinach. Place the cooked spinach in a metal strainer and layer several paper towels on top. Press the paper towels down to help squeezed the moisture out of the spinach.

Then add the spinach to the meat filling. Complete the filling by mixing in the Parmesan, feta, nutmeg, and the egg. Mix well to makes sure it is evenly combined.

Now assemble the spanakopita. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on a baking mat or clean work surface with the long side facing towards you. Then lightly brush the sheet with butter and sprinkle a pinch of bread crumbs over the top. Then add a second layer and repeat the process of brushing on the butter and crumbs.

Place a final third layer of phyllo on top and the cut the sheet in half lengthwise. Add a rounded 1/3 of a cup of the filling mixture to the top of the two short sides and roll the phyllo over at a diagonal to form a triangle.

Continue to fold back and forth at a diagonal creating a triangle that completely covers the filling inside. Once you reach the bottom brush a little more butter on the last triangle to seal up the pastry.

Place the finished spanakopita on a parchment paper lined baking pan with the seam side down. And brush the top with butter. Then continue this process until all of the filing is used. Bake for 25 minutes until the phyllo is golden brown.

Fourteen pastries may sound like at lot but they are so tasty that they have a way of disappearing quickly. I find that depending on how hungry you are, I would plan for about 2 to 3 spanakopitas per person for a dinner sized portion. These pastries reheat well in the toaster oven. They can also be made in advance. Just skip the final brushing of the melted butter on top until you are ready to bake them and wrap the unbaked pasties in plastic wrap before freezing them.

One bite of these flakey beef and spinach spanakopita and a big greek salad will surly have you hanging on to every last delicious moment of this late summer season.

Garden

The Gift of Gardening

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Spring Flower Pot

“Plant so that your own heart will grow.” – Hafiz

Gardening at its heart is all about finding beauty in change. Seasons come and go. Some more quickly than others. Unpredictable rain, snow, ice and relentless heat can test even the most experienced gardener. Yet, I have found that there is something about the challenge and those fleeting moments of beauty that keep me planting.

Mid season pink Big Eartha tulips in my back yard. If you look closely you can see the second set of blooms that ensures a longer spring tulip season.

The art of gardening is using that change for good. Every spring I find myself waiting with great anticipation as my yard comes to life with hundreds of tulips blooms. I plant mid and late season tulips in an effort to extend the pink and orange blooms as long as possible.

The same flowerbed two weeks later with a late season French Rose blend in orange pink and apricot.

Then as May comes to a close, I am hard at work again pulling them all out and preparing for summer. My boots and gloves are covered in mud as I pause to reflect and plan. Spring was beautiful but summer has its own sundrenched charm.

The same back patio flowerbed in early summer after the tulips are gone.

The canopy of trees that covers my backyard is beginning to fill in. Now there will be rainbow of hostas, hucheras, and impatients.

Hostas and hucheras fill the shady beds under my trees.

The dahlia tubers are growing in pots and anxiously awaiting their turn. There are tiny wavy zinnia seedlings that will soon be growing to towering heights. One might wonder about my front garden when you see it in late May. However, the end of July brings an abundance of flowers hummingbirds and butterflies.

My dahlias and double zinnias are just beginning to bloom.

All those intricate petals and dazzling layers leave me memorized. Surely there is a touch of the divine in all of those details.

Milena Fleur dahlias on of my favorite summer flowers.

Nestled behind my day lilies lies a small vegetable garden. The cucumbers that my daughter and I planted from seeds are now overflowing with fruit.

The green tomatoes are sunbathing and turning a brilliant red. Our herbs are beginning to overflow their little blue box. August brings an abundance of garden gifts to share as I begin to think ahead and order bulbs for the fall.

No day, season or year is ever the same, but that I have found that is the gift. Because gardening has a way of growing wisdom with time.

Its practice has taught me to give thanks for small joys, to use change for good and to find a peace in the power and rhythm of nature.

Food

Breakfast Grilled Cheese

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Just in time time for Father’s Day, I have the ultimate breakfast grilled cheese sandwich. I discovered this delicious diner style breakfast sandwich by serendipity. My favorite local breakfast spot ran out of what I had originally ordered. So, I had to make a quick new order from the specials board.

As luck would have it my second order was even better than my usual. One bite had me smitten. I was in grilled cheese heaven. Crisp and buttery Texas toast, melted cheese, bacon and then if that wasn’t enough, a fried egg which really put it over the top.

I shared a bite with my husband who I believe had an instant case of order envy because the whole way home he was talking about how I needed to make this one at home. So in honor of my husband, I give you the breakfast grilled cheese sandwich.

Breakfast Grilled Cheese- makes 2 sandwiches

  • 3 slices of thick cut bacon, cooked
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons of butter
  • 4 slices of Texas toast bread (I like the Lewis Bread company)
  • 4 slices of Kraft singles cheddar cheese (for a diner style) or your favorite cheddar cheese
  • 2 eggs

First, cook the bacon and then split each piece in half.

Next, heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan and then evenly coat one side of each slice of bread in the melted butter and remove them from the pan.

Now my trick for perfectly golden grilled cheese is the toaster oven. Place your toast pieces buttered side down in the toaster oven then put one slice of cheese on the top of each piece. Toast for a medium setting about 3 minutes until the cheese is melted. This will get the cheese melting ahead of time so you can get the perfect golden crust without having to worry about the cheese.

Meanwhile fry your eggs one at a time. Crack and the egg in the pan and then let it cook until the egg white begins to set and cook through about 2 to 3 minutes. Then flip the egg over with a spatula and cook for another minute or so more. Repeat with the second egg. Move the eggs to a separate plate. Now melt the remaining butter in the pan.

Place a base layer of the toasted bread with cheese in the pan. Then build the sandwich by layering on three bacon pieces, the fried egg and the last slice of bread with the cheese side down.

Finally, grill the sandwiches on both sides until golden brown.

A one skillet breakfast that is as fun to make as it is to eat.

One sandwich is quite the meal, but for a great Father’s Day breakfast I would serve it with a side of fresh summer berries or if want the full diner experience hash browns would wonderful too.

This recipe is fun, quick and most importantly so delicious! As my husband said “It’s everything you want for breakfast in one sandwich.”

Food

A Fiesta for Any Night: Beef Fajitas

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Fajitas make any night a celebration. They are hand held happiness. One bite and the world seems like a brighter and better place.

I must admit for most of my life I took for granted the deliciousness that is beef fajitas, because in Texas, where I am from, fajitas are the signature party food. Great fajitas and tacos were easy to find. In the Chicago suburbs there are some good taco spots, but when it comes to fajitas, no one tops my home grilled steak and onions. Add some avocado pico de gallo, shredded cheese and sour cream and you have yourself one amazing bite.

So, with Cinco de Mayo just days away I thought I would share with you my favorite Tex-Mex dish, beef fajitas.

Beef Fajitas- Serves 4 to 6

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1½ to 2 lbs skirt steak
  • 2 yellow onions, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 12 flour or corn tortillas
  • Shredded cheddar or monetary jack cheese, for accompaniment
  • Sour cream, for accompaniment
  • Avocado Pico de Gallo, for accompaniment

Avocado Pico de Gallo

  • 1 large avocado, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Make the fajita marinade. In a small mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, red wine, Worcestershire, lime juice and vegetable oil. Then place the skirt steak in a large zip top bag. Pour the marinade over the meat and seal the bag. Refrigerate the steak to allow it to marinate for an hour or if you have the time up to eight hours.

Preheat your outdoor grill or indoor grill pan.

Meanwhile slice your onions in half and then into half moon slices.  In a medium skillet melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the onion slices and cook stirring occasionally until they just begin to get a hint of caramelization.

Grill the steaks. Once the grill or grill pan is hot, take the steaks out of the marinade and grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side or to your preference.

Once it has rested for a few minutes, slice the steak thinly on the diagonal against the grain. Place on a platter or skillet with the onions.

Finally, make the avocado pico de gallo. Mix together the avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro lime juice, kosher salt and garlic powder. Then get the tortillas warmed and the topping of cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo ready.

To serve place the platter of beef fajitas out along with small bowls or plates with cheese sour cream and pico de gallo. Then make your own tacos to taste.

The combination of the grilled beef with just a hint of salt, the sweet onions and fresh avocados pico de gallo is sure to make you happy. So cook up a cinco de mayo party in your own kitchen with my beef fajitas.

Food

Cajun Salmon with Three Bean Salad

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Blackened Salmon with Cajun Three Bean Salad

Dinner in our house is one of the best parts of my day, but sometimes getting it on the table can be tricky. Cajun salmon with three bean salad is a recipe for nights when you need dinner on the table pronto. The key to this recipe is the homemade cajun seasoning.

It’s quick to mix together, but it really makes this dish. Cajun flavors can sometimes be a little spicy for kids so this seasoning mix has all the flavor with a little less heat. The seasoning is wonderful on the fish and it makes an unbelievably good salad dressing mix.

In the twenty minutes it take to get the salmon cooked you can get the bean salad tossed together. Add a side of crusty Italian bread and in no time you have a delicious and healthy weeknight meal. The bean salad is so good that if you are wanting a vegetarian dinner you could easily double the bean salad recipe and have enough for a main dish.

Cajun Salmon-serves 4

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ¼ pounds salmon

Three Bean Salad

  • 2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 1½ inch pieces
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¼ cup (about 2 small) shallots, sliced into thin rings
  • 1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (16 oz) can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
  • 1½ teaspoons of reserved cajun seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

First mix together the cajun seasoning. In a small bowl combine the salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dry mustard and dried oregano. Set seasoning aside to use on the fish and in the salad dressing.

Second prepare the cajun salmon. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the salmon coating the tops evenly. Sprinkle on 2 teaspoons of the cajun seasoning. Place the salmon on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil. Put them in the oven to roast.

I like my salmon cooked through so I cook mine to 135 degrees which is about 22 minutes in my oven. If you like your salmon less firm then you will want to start checking it’s doneness at about 15 minutes. You want salmon to be anywhere between 120 degrees to 140 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

While the salmon is roasting make the three bean salad. Fill a large sauce pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook them for 5 minutes. Once cooked, remove the green beans from the water and allow them to cool. Slice the tomatoes and shallots and rinse and drain the red beans and black-eyed peas.

Next, make the salad dressing. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the mustard, apple cider vinegar and 1½ teaspoons of reserved cajun seasoning. Then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuously whisking the dressing. Continue whisking until the dressing is emulsified into a vinegrette.

Finally mix together the salad. In a large bowl gently mix together the kidney beans, black eyed peas, green beans, shallots and tomatoes. Add salad dressing to taste and stir.

As you finish the salad the salmon should coming out of the oven. Add a side of some crusty Italian bread and you have a delicious dinner.

Cajun salmon with three bean salad is the perfect trifecta that I am looking for in weeknight dinners- quick, healthy and delicious. So if you are wondering what to make for dinner this week then this recipe is for you.

Baking/Food

Celebrating Five Years with Lemon Mousse Parfaits

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Lemon Mousse Parfait

“So often in life things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

In life I have found that adversity is often an essential ingredient for growth. Experience has taught me to be grateful for all those seemly sour lemons. Because life’s most delicious moments come when you are brave enough to embrace them and whisk in a little sugar.

I began Maison McCauley five years ago as a way to write a new beginning for myself. I had just made a big cross country move, and left my legal career behind and at the time I was feeling a bit lost. However, as I learned it’s never too late to write a new beginning. Looking back, although I was worried about hitting publish on my first post I am so grateful that I did. So to celebrate this occasion, I decided to design and add some new artwork to my blog and writing home.

However, it wouldn’t be a celebration at Maison McCauley if it didn’t include dessert. In honor of the occasion, I created a new recipe in for Lemon Mouse Parfaits. This sweet and incredibly light mousse is paired with buttery shortbread. Its like the best lemon bar you have ever tasted!

So thank you friends because after 283 posts, 133 recipes and over 205,000 words I am grateful that you keep coming back to read more. Writing this blog has been incredible because it took a seemingly hard moment in my life and made it into the best and most delicious journey imaginable.

Lemon Mousse Parfaits -serves 6

Lemon Mousse

  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large eggs yolks separated (save two of the egg whites)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 large or 4 small lemons)
  • 2 egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons of sugar
  • ¼ cup lemon curd
  • ¾ cup shortbread cookies, crushed into course crumbs
  • lemon zest twirls, fresh berries and mint leaves for garnish

Shortbread Cookies

  • 2 ¼ cups flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature for at least 1 hour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup vanilla candy melts or chopped white chocolate (decoration for the cookie garnish)

First make the base for the lemon mousse. Fill a large sauce pot with water and get a double broiler pan or a heat proof bowl ready. Heat the water over medium heat till it comes up to a simmer.

Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer combine 3 eggs, 3 egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar. Beat them together on low speed. Then slowly drizzle in the lemon juice while continuing to beat the eggs and sugar.

Once the water is at a simmer turn the heat down to medium low and place the bowl or double broiler pan on top. The pour in the egg and lemon juice mixture and whisk it constantly as it cooks over the simmering water. Continue cooking and whisking it for 10 to 12 minutes until it is thick like a pudding or pastry cream.

The egg mixture will begin to thicken in about 3 to 4 minutes keep whisking it as it continues to thicken and cook.

Then remove the bowl from the pan. If using a double broiler place the lemon mousse base a medium sized bowl. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes and then cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate it until it is completely chilled about 1 hour.

Now while the lemon mousse is cooling make the shortbread cookies. If you are running short on time then you could substitute store bought cookies; however there is nothing like homemade shortbread.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer combine the flour, sugar and salt. Then cut your butter into small pieces, like you would for pie dough or biscuits. Add the butter into your flour mixture and blend on low.

Then as the butter begins to get cut into the flour increase your mixer speed to medium and add in your vanilla. Continue mixing the dough until it just comes together. This dough will be very crumbly, but the butter will help it all it to be press together.

Roll the dough out to a ¼ inch thickness on a lightly floured surface and cut it into small circles with a 2 inch diameter cookie cutter or something similar.

Bake the cookies on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for 7 to 8 minutes until the very edge of the cookies is a light just barely golden color.

Allow the cookies to cool and if you want a patisserie like finish decorate them with melted white chocolate or candy melts. Place the white chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. Then microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to heat it at 20 second intervals stirring in between until it has just melted.

Place the chocolate into a small pastry bag and cut a small tip off the bottom. Create a lattice like pattern on onside of the cookie by creating three lines on a diagonal and the cross them with three more diagonal lines going the opposite direction. Then smooth the chocolate off the side of the cookies with your finger.

Finally, finish the lemon mousse and assemble the parfait. Place two egg whites and ¼ teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the are soft and foamy add in 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat them until the egg whites are slightly shiny and they form stiff peaks.

Carefully fold the egg whites into the cooled lemon mousse base using a rubber spatula or spoon.

Then place 3 cups of heavy whipping cream and 4 tablespoons of sugar into the bowl of the stand mixer. Beat the whipped cream on high until stiff peaks form.

Fold 1 cup of the whipping cream into the lemon mousse and then fold in ¼ cup of lemon curd.

Assemble the parfaits by placing about 2 tablespoons of shortbread cookie crumbs in the bottom of 6 small bowls or dessert cup. Then pipe or carefully spoon about am even amount of mousse into each of the bowls. Then take the remains 2 cups of whipping cream and pipe or spoon a generous swirl on top of each dessert.

Decorate the lemon mousse with a shortbread cookie. If you want to add a festive touch then top it with some blueberries, blackberries, a mint leaf or a lemon twist. Now matter how you serve them these lemon mouse parfaits are wonderful.

Lemon Mousse Parfaits are a wonderfully light and sweet desert. Perfect for holidays like Easter and Passover because the shortbread cookies don’t have any leavening in them. The mousse can be made ahead of time and then decorated with the berries and mint before they are served. Bon appétit! These French lemon mousses make any day you create them celebration and that in my mind is what cooking is all about.

Baking/Food

Reading and Eating: Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao

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Every so often I find a book character that I love so much that they seem to transcend the page and become a friend. This is what happened to my daughters and I when we began reading the Amy Wu book series by Kat Zhang and Charlene Chua. Amy Wu is a sort of kindred spirit and a spirited powerhouse of creative energy. My girls and I adore her adventures. Our favorite book so far is Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao.

In the book Amy is tired of feeling like she is too little to get in the kitchen and cook. She longs to create her own bao (delicious Chinese steamed buns) like her parents and grandmother. So determined to do it herself. She carefully puts together a plan to make the perfect bao. However when her plan hits a snag Amy has to get creative.

I can relate to Amy’s struggle. As kid I wanted more than anything to get in the kitchen and cook on my own. As a five and six year old I longed to make fancy frosted layer cakes. There were understandably rules about not using the oven. So desperate to bake I stacked and frosted sandwich bread. Perhaps not the best plan, but I was learning. Looking back those frosted sandwich bread cakes turned out to be important to me because they fueled my desire to keep creating and baking.

So when my daughters like Amy Wu want to get in the kitchen and cook I let them. There are a few rules for safety.  However, sometimes I look the other way when it come to kitchen messes. They have made their own toast and jam cakes and many other   creative dishes along the way. The important thing is they are learning and getting a chance to try something on their own. Amy Wu reminds kids and even kids at heart to persevere and not let the little things (like using the oven and small fingers) stand in the way of your dreams.

After reading this book my daughters had to get in the kitchen to make their own bao buns. My oldest daughter was so serious about it that she specifically asked for a bamboo steamer for her birthday. So we put her new steamer to work and got in the kitchen to make Amy Wu’s bao. Our recipe has a few adaptations to the filling to make them perfect for our family.

Amy Wu’s Perfect Bao Recipe- Makes 20 Bao

Bao Dough

  • 1 packet active dry yeast (2¼ tsp)
  • 1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees)
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup, plus a pinch of sugar
  • 1 cup low fat milk
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • You will also need a bamboo steamer and twenty 2 inch square squares of parchment paper

Prepare the bao dough.

First, bloom the yeast. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl add the hot water and stir in a pinch of sugar. Then stir in the yeast packet. Let it sit for five minutes until the yeast begins to bubble and grow.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine 3½ cups of the flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp salt and 1/4 cup sugar.

Next, add the milk, oil and yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are well incorporated. Knead the dough. Use a bit of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour to flour the kneading surface and add a small amount only if the dough is still sticky. (I found that I didn’t need to add much). Continue to knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes. You will know the dough is ready when a thumbprint pressed into the dough slowly rises back.

My daughter helping me knead the dough.

Form the dough into a ball. Clean the bowl and lightly spray it with cooking spray. Place the dough ball in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave it in a warm place until the dough doubles in size about 1 to 1½ hours. (Note if your kitchen is a bit chilly like mine is this time of year, then turn on your oven. Place the dough bowl on top of the oven as it rises. The oven will warm your kitchen which helps with the rise.)

Gently punch down the dough and knead it for another 5 minutes. Place it back in the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for an additional hour.

Bao Filling

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tsp fresh garlic, peeled and minced

While the dough is rising make the pork filling. In a medium sized mixing bowl add the ground pork, egg, rice wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger powder, fresh ginger and garlic. Mix well and form into generous rounded tablespoon sized meatballs. Refrigerate the meatballs until you are ready to assemble the bao.

The bao dough before and after the second rise.

Once the dough has risen a second time, it is time to assemble the bao. First, cut 20 two inch parchment paper squares and prepare your steamer. Use a wok or a deep sided skillet that your steamer fit inside. Fill the skillet half way full with water and heat it on medium heat. You want the water level at time of cooking to be just below the bottom steamer rack. Wait to add your steamer when the bao are ready to be cooked.

Next shape the bao dough into a rope that is 3 inches in diameter and then cut the dough into 20 equal sized pieces. Take each piece of dough and flatten it into a rough circle. the with a rolling pen or by hand roll or press our the edges to make about a 5 inch diameter circle. The dough should be thicker in the center and thinner on the edges.

Then take the seasoned pork meatballs and place one in the center of the dough circle. Pleat the top of the dough by creating small back and forth fan like folds in the dough all along the top. It will look like a little ribbon drawn purse.

I am still working on my bao pleating skills, but if you are new to it too then here is an idea about what it should look like.

Then pinch and bring the folds together and twist them to form a top that resembles the shape of a garlic head. Take the twisted tip and press it down in the center.

Place each pleated bao on a parchment paper square. Pleated boa should rest for 15 minutes before they are steamed. It takes at least this long to pleat all the bao so by the time you finish the first batch will be ready to go.

My daughters wanted to be a part of this reading and eating post so we made a little video on how to roll and pleat the bao buns.

Place the about 5 to 6 bao on each layer of the steamer. Carefully put the steamer in the simmering water and steam the bao for 10 minutes.

The bao before I put the lid on to steam them.

Then remove the steamer from the heat heat for 3 to 4 minutes before removing the lid, to keep the bao from deflating. Repeat the steaming process adding more water to the pan as needed until all the bao are cooked.

Then the best part eating and sharing the bao.

The pork filling creates a salty sweet balance with the dough. If you want you can dip the bao in soy sauce or make a soy based dipping sauce with some rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and if you want a tiny bit of garlic chili sauce.

So, cook up an adventure in your own kitchen. These bao take a little time, but most of it is spent allowing the dough to rise. The assembly of the bao went quickly with the three of us working together. My girls and I really enjoyed learning something new! These bao buns were so delicious that I am sure we will making more soon. They would be wonderful to make for Chinese new year next week or to celebrate the upcoming Olympic Games.

Garden

Dreaming of Dahlias

Lemon Cupcakes With Blackberry Buttercream Recipe admin_AM 0 comment

“Dahlias have a life force of their own. They are the gift that keeps on giving.”

William Li

Grow what you love and your garden will flourish. There is no single garden that is right for everyone, but I have always loved flowers. They bring me so much joy. I love planting them and filling my house with bouquet after bouquet. This is how I fell in love with dahlias. I started with a few tubers that I picked up from Home Depot, but now I find myself growing more each year.

Dahlias are less fussy than roses and perfect for small gardens. I love them because they defy the small garden dilemma- should pick and share the flowers or leave them in the garden? Dahlias allow you to do both. They create a three month bonanza of summer blooms and their abundance only increases as you cut them. So I don’t feel bad about picking my flowers. Their dazzling petals and outrageous colors make gorgeous arrangements.

A bouquet of dahlias from my garden. I love the combination of the purple and coral blooms.

My summer flower garden plans begin in late December and January as I begin to order my dahlia tubers for the coming year. I love looking at all the different possibilities as I narrow down my selections for the coming year. Reading through the catalogs and online listings is like being a kid with the big Christmas toy catalog. It’s fun to scroll through Instagram posts of other gardener’s favorites, because I have yet to find another flower with such an enthusiastic fan base.

When I am outside gardening in the summer people often stop to ask about my flowers which makes me happy. I love talking to other gardeners. Dahlias do indeed have a certain “life force” about them. Because their beauty causes us to stop for a moment and ponder the wonder of nature.

Like any gardener I have perennial favorites that I grow every year, but I always like to try out a few new varieties too. As I am writing this post it is a frosty 9 degrees outside, however the thought of summer dahlia season warms my heart.

Here are a few of my all time favorite dahlias that made my ordering list:

Milena Fleur

These salmon pink beauties are the sturdiest and most abundant bloomers that I have ever grown. They have medium sized flowers with strong stems. I love their slightly shorter growth habit. It makes them the perfect variety to layer in front of other larger dinner plate dahlias. Their compact size would also work well in a large pot or container.

American Beauty

The name says it all. This dahlia has the most beautiful deep coral color with fuchsia tipped petals and dark purple stems. Their color and abundant blooms make them the star of any floral arrangement. They are a more compact variety so I love to plant them in front of larger dinner plate dahlias like Le Barons or Thomas Edisons.

Le Baron

Le Baron Dahlias were one of the first dinner plate varieties that I tried and I have planted them every year since. Their huge magenta blooms and bright green foliage pair well with the coral color of the American Beauties.

Thomas Edison

These flowers have large purple blooms with deep purple stems. They are an older American variety that are well loved because they tend to be sturdier than other larger dinner plate varieties. They love full sun and are a more heat tolerant variety.

Lilac Time

These English heirlooms dahlias have blueish lavender color with deep purple stems. Their large blooms and ruffled edges make these dahlias stunning. Their big blooms need some some support or staking, but they are well worth the effort because they are outstanding bloomers.

Lavender Perfection

This vintage dinner plate dahlia has a soft pinkish purple color with long elegant petals. Its large flowers are so spectacular that just one lavender perfection in a vase makes a beautiful arrangement. Their large blooms require a careful staking or a garden hoop support system. However, they have a lovely cottage garden feel to them.

Milena Fleur and Le Baron Dahlias layer well in my garden.

Tips for Growing Dahlias

  • First know your garden zone. Most dahlias do not like extreme humidity and heat so if you live in a tropical zone you may need to protect them from too much rain and grow more heat tolerant varieties.
  • Second, if you want more flowers and sturdier stems then you need to pinch back the center stalk as the plant begins to grow. You can do this when your plant is a foot or so tall and has at least four sets of leaves on the center stalk. You want to cut the center bud off leaving 3 to 4 sets of leaves on the bottom. This will encourage the plant to send out twice as many branches and give you more flowers into the fall.
  • Third, large decorative dahlias need support, so the plants don’t break in the wind or from the weight of the blooms. I have found that garden hoops work well if you have a small planting area. If you have a lot of plants, you can stake the perimeter area and use soft garden twine to create a support structure. The key is to not damage the roots with the stakes and allow for some supported movement of the plant.
  • Fourth, you want to protect dahlias from Japanese beetles. These beetles are the nemesis of any dahlia gardener. They can devourer dahlia flowers at an astonishingly fast pace, but there is a simple solution. Spray the plants with Japanese beetle spray. It is better for the flowers if you spray them early in the morning or in the evening when it is cooler.
  • Finally, now is the time to order dahlia tubers for spring shipment. Most bulb and seed companies open dahlia sales in December and the most popular varieties can sell out quickly. So plan now for a gorgeous summer garden!

If you are a dahlia enthusiast too then I highly recommend reading Floret Farm’s Discovering Dahlias by Erin Benzakein. It is an excellent resource with great pictures and in depth explanations. This book covers everything you need on how to grow and even cultivate your own varieties of dahlias.

Milena Fleur Dahlia. This waterlily form blossom is one of the prettiest and most low maintenance dahlias.

Dahlias are a gift to the garden because they produce an abundance of beautiful flowers. There are so many colors and varieties to love. Once you grow them it’s hard to imagine a summer garden without them.

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