This is my Christmas card but could also do double duty for a New Year's card. It really isn't that Christmassy but represents a huge bit of pop culture for 2013. The uTube video of the song by Ylvis has had more than 403 million hits and is a silly catchy tune so being the hip 65 year old that I am this became the inspiration for my 2013 greetings.
These last two weeks have been fun and busy around here. As usual lots of baking...but sadly no cookies this year. Instead I baked panettone, Santa brownie hats, roasted and seasoned nuts and seeds and made chocolate bark. My Christmas Eve dinner was a soup made with Christmas lima beans. I made a project out of an old abandon easel and did the usual decorating.
Besides the fox, lots of folk had something to say:
The chickens had their version of Merry Christmas
Kate read her letter from Santa
Georgia woofed thank you for her new friends that Santa brought her.
As for me I wish you the Merriest of Christmases and the absolute best New Year
I hope 2013 was a good year for you and I wish even a better year in
2014
Happy New Year
Thursday, December 26, 2013
New life for an old easel
Kate and I spotted an old easel a couple of months ago out in the rain in a parkway that is occupied by street beggars. We passed by it four times over the next couple of days and came to the conclusion it had been abandoned. So we decided to adopt it. I took it apart, sanded it down, stained the wood and repainted the chalkboard this raspberry pink. Then I added the old de-rusted hardware and added some new wing nuts. Here is the new old easel. I'm glad we rescued it.
lavender glazed candied chestnuts
Christmas morning and often before I love to include panettone on the menu. It is Italy's Christmas cake and is delightful. The key ingredients to making this cake unique are fiori di Sicilia, which is an extract of special flowers, and candied chestnuts. The best panettone I have ever tasted is the one Williams-Sonoma sells. The challenge is to duplicate it and make it with gluten free flour. I have never found candied chestnuts available for sale so I set out to make them myself, a good kitchen challenge. And as long as I was making them I decided to add one more flavor: lavender. I took roasted chestnuts and simmered them in a concentrated simple syrup (2 parts sugar to one part water) with a whole vanilla bean. Then I added the lavender and let it steep in the syrup. Then a second sugar syrup, even more concentrated to dip the already lavender dipped chestnuts, so double dipping. I added a little candied lavender to the top and let them dry for 15 hours.
I chopped them up, mixed them with the macerated dried fruit and citrus peel and added them to the batter of the cake. The cake recipe is from King Alfred Flour. The final result was a beautiful tasty and gluten free panettone.
I chopped them up, mixed them with the macerated dried fruit and citrus peel and added them to the batter of the cake. The cake recipe is from King Alfred Flour. The final result was a beautiful tasty and gluten free panettone.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Even the fish are frozen!
It was again -9deg when I got up this morning. I was just so happy when I saw the faces of all of my barnyard critters when I went out to feed them breakfast and unfreeze their water. How can it be this cold?
Where is the beach? I want to know
Thursday, December 5, 2013
15 below zero??!!!??
Oh My God It's cold. I didn't think it got this cold. Last night I went out to check on my babies and found them all cuddled up trying not to freeze. I was worried sleeplessly all night wondering if they could sustain such a night. But I just went out to check and they are ok. So are all the chicken. Let's hope it warms up and we can all thaw out.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Gobble gobble!
I think the colors of this holiday in the kitchen are glorious: the oranges and browns and all shades between, the reds of cranberries and pomegranates, the bright greens of apples, and the warm colors of spices. Welcome to my kitchen before the oven gets turned on:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Monday morning in Denver
Did someone say something about a Bronco? There are a lot of Broncos in this town of Denver...some playing amazing football last night; one at the airport that has crazy red eyes, there is one being "busted" in the park downtown and this one seems to sit mile high on a red chair.
I had to go downtown again this morning. The sun was shining, the sky was blue blue and my iPhone was in my purse. Denver has a lot of funky art around town I thought I would share my walk with you this morning.
Friday, October 18, 2013
snow on Fall
The trees in Denver have been of spectacular color the last two weeks...even as brilliant as New England....maybe better. But last night snow was predicted to fall. The child in me love to wake up and look out the window to see what happened while I was sleeping. This morning I had to wait for dawn's early light to go exploring with my camera. What a difference a day makes in the Denver weather. By noon this will all be gone. Got to get your camera out when you have opportunity
Monday, October 7, 2013
Kate and her chocolate honey almond tart
Gluten-free. Does this look like her world has been compromised? Not at all. Kate has celiac disease which makes her body very sick if she has gluten in her diet. So we, like many families, have figured out some solutions.
This chocolate tart is really delicious. It is an offtake of Giada de Laurentes' recipe. It is simple: a chocolate cookie and almond crust baked in a springform pan with a honey sweetened ganache filling.
With or without gluten you should try this one:
Chocolate honey almond tart:
Preheat oven to 350deg
chocolate cookies, Pamela's gluten free (or chocolate graham crackers) 5 1/2 oz.
2Tbs almond flour Or almonds
1/2 cup butter, room temp, cut into 1/2 inch squares
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a food processor crush and mix chocolate cookies and almonds
Add room temp chunks of butter
Press into buttered springform pan
Bake for 12 minutes
Cool for 20 minutes
Meanwhile:
Heat cream and honey on stove until honey is melted and mixture is smooth and hot
Pour over bowl holding chocolate chips
Stir and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth
Pour over crust
Place in fridge to cool- at least 5 hrs.
Bon Appetit gluten free friends!
This chocolate tart is really delicious. It is an offtake of Giada de Laurentes' recipe. It is simple: a chocolate cookie and almond crust baked in a springform pan with a honey sweetened ganache filling.
With or without gluten you should try this one:
Chocolate honey almond tart:
Preheat oven to 350deg
chocolate cookies, Pamela's gluten free (or chocolate graham crackers) 5 1/2 oz.
2Tbs almond flour Or almonds
1/2 cup butter, room temp, cut into 1/2 inch squares
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
In a food processor crush and mix chocolate cookies and almonds
Add room temp chunks of butter
Press into buttered springform pan
Bake for 12 minutes
Cool for 20 minutes
Meanwhile:
Heat cream and honey on stove until honey is melted and mixture is smooth and hot
Pour over bowl holding chocolate chips
Stir and whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth
Pour over crust
Place in fridge to cool- at least 5 hrs.
Bon Appetit gluten free friends!
start with the best ingredients
Pamela's is a great source for gluten free products, I love pasture fed dairy products, organic almonds, local wildflower honey and the very best chocolate.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Studio open
I took the whole day Sunday to be inspired and open my studio to wonderful colors like Cadmium yellow, Cadmium orange and Cadmium red. The inspiration came from my garden...pumpkins and squash everywhere...even on the chicken coop roof!!!
It was a great day to do nothing but create.
It was a great day to do nothing but create.
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