The Wooden Spoon Girl's Very Own: Lemon Berry Coffee Cake, with love..

   Good afternoon, my dear readers! :) I have returned, this time with a completely (save one small sliver of a piece) devoured coffee cake, and a recipe to offer up in its place. 

   I think it is safe to say the cake was delicious, and a definite success. I, unlike it used to be, do not get to sample my cakes these days, you know, the forbidden ingredients and all, but between two friends; one recommending coconut sugar and the other, coconut flour - next time this cake is made, I WILL get to be tasting! Yum. (Btw, I'll blog about this later, but coconut 'sugar' isn't really sugar. It's an all natural sweetener. Yay!)

   So. Here's the recipe. It's my modified version, because half the ingredients I substituted, and the other half I changed the measurements.. and the topping, well, I completely redid the topping. So this is my signature Wooden Spoon Girl recipe! I love having a few of my own things, with my special taste and touch added.

Here goes:

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup organic sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2/3 cup organic Rice Dream
2 & 1/4 cup HOMEMADE baking mix
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blackberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
--
3 ounces (3 squares) white baking chocolate
1/8 cup warm organic Rice Dream
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

   In a medium bowl, combine the egg, sugar, lemon peel and Rice Dream; mix well. Stir in the homemade baking mix until moistened and there are no lumps (homemade may clump more, as it doesn't have anti-caking agents added). Gently fold in the berries (if they are frozen, you'll want to let them thaw, and then stir in the juice as well, but remember not to over-stir. A few juice streaks look pretty against the yellow cake). 
   
   Pour into a greased 8-inch round baking pan. 
   
   Bake at 350* for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes, then run a knife along the end of pan and turn it over onto a cake stand or serving plate. Allow to cool a while longer, as you prepare the frosting.

   Break each of the 3-ounce squares in half, placing them in a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium law, and allow them to melt, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Heat 1/8 cup Rice Dream in microwave for about 10 seconds, gradually pour into the chocolate, and stir well. Add the lemon juice, one teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Cool a few minutes, then drizzle over the cake with a spoon. Do not spread. 

   Cut into wedges and enjoy! Serves 6.

No Confectioners' Sugar? No Problem.

   

   The things you learn when you don't have all the ingredients. This goes for more than food.. it sounds like my every day life, too! 

   To those of you who don't know.. I've been sick with a rundown body since June 11th. (Really, it all started back in April, but that's another day's story.) Everything from immune to adrenals to liver and kidneys and skin and blood cells... just assume anything that's supposed to work, probably isn't. With the exception of my heart, and lungs, and being alive. God has kept me through this, and the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.

   So, for me to do anything much past laying in bed reading a book or sleeping- that's a big activity. Also, before all this happened I was super energetic, worked out a lot, ran several miles a day, cooked 2-3 meals per day, and so on. Guess this girl learned that even young folks need to learn to not pile too much on their plate at once. Even WE need sleep. Can you imagine? 

   Lately it's been improving to where I can do one load of laundry. Or take one bath. Or make a very simple, small meal. Well, today I made me man a Lemon Blueberry coffee cake. Well, that's what the recipe said anyway. Turned out, I didn't have any blueberries.. but I had this smoothie blend my husband had made (not a smoothie yet, just the fruits) mostly consisting of blackberries and raspberries with a few blueberries. The recipe called for a cup, so I measured out a cup, and mixed it with my lightly beaten egg, by 1/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup rice milk (did I mention I don't eat gluten or dairy now, among many other banned foods? So I didn't have any regular dairy on hand, and surprisingly, rice milk tastes fantastic in baked goods.) and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest. The flour mix (my shortcut to baking, also homemade) was in there as well, and actually the berries were added last. Into my round baking pan it went, to the oven, and baked for 25 minutes. 

   Then I realized.. 'oh.. I don't have any confectioners' sugar for the frosting! Hm...' I scrounged through my cabinets seeing what I could find for a substitute. Then I came across the white chocolate in my freezer. Ooh! I bet this would taste good. But upon looking up recipes on the internet, it seemed even all the white chocolate frosting recipes called for the same kind of sugar I did not have. Now it was time for some improvising. I took three 1-ounce blocks off my baking bar. I placed them in a pan, over low heat, and waited for them to melt, stirring occasionally. After it was completely liquified, I put about a 1/4 cup of rice milk in the microwave for 15 seconds, then gradually poured it into the chocolate, blending after each small addition. After that I added 3 teaspoons of lemon juice (The recipe called for 4, but I'd already put in that milk, so I figured 3 would do.) It looked and smelled delicious, so I placed it on the back of the stove, to stay warm -and not harden!- while the cake finished in the oven.

   My cake is now on the counter cooling, it's time to take it out of the pan and frost it with white chocolate goodness. I'll post pictures tonight, when my husband gets home and will enjoy it. My camera battery is charging right now, otherwise I could have gotten pictures of the melting process! 

   Recipe to follow tonight! 

With Love and Joy,
~The Wooden Spoon Girl

Nightie for Violet

   Violet is my hypothetical baby girl.. you will probably hear my speak of her from time to time. And if I ever mention 'Malcom', that is my hypothetical baby boy. They are hypothetically not the same age and Violet it hypothetically a few years older. Now that we've cleared that up and introductions have been made... let me show you Vi's new nightie. :)

   I actually bought this piece of clothing (among many others) when three of my friends were expecting this summer. When I ended up not going to any of their showers, or them thinking to tell me when their babies had been born, lol... I kind of didn't mail any of the clothes. Just as well, because I fell in love with more than one of the outfits. :)

   Also.. anyone who knows me, knows that I recently have a THING for cupcakes. Hence this particular nightie being so fitting. (You may also notice I don't say 'sleeper'. It's a 'nightie'. I also don't say 'nuk', I say 'pacifier'.. and I also don't believe in using them, under any name. haha.. so, enjoy the pictures.. and my baby girl. :D

Artisan Bread (for the Very Frist Time!)

I have had a book on Artisan bread for nearly 3 months now, and never quite had all the supplies, or wimped out, or didn't have the time.. or ANYTHING that would keep me from doing it (not on purpose) would come up. Well, yesterday, I finally decided I would make it, and that I would let nothing come in my way of finishing it. 

I started out by burning my flour, as I didn't realize that you shouldn't flour the baking stone til right before the dough goes in. Oops. I thought nothing of it for the first 25 minutes, just assuming that nasty smell was something burned onto the bottom of my over (sigh, yes, that would mean I'd need to clean it. But that was nothing to worry about right away.) More time went by and it was smelling worse and worse. What on earth? I thought to myself. It was snowing pretty hard yesterday morning, and was brutally cold, yet I shoved two windows wide open to air our the house. (I have a strange fear of smoke alarms, I think because when growing up, we had such high, peaked ceilings that a person had to stand on a step ladder to shut them off. I didn't like standing on ladders. Therefore. . .  )

Several times, I peered into the oven, but seeing nothing amiss, I would shut it again, just to keep smelling the bad burning smell. Eventually the flour turned darker, and darker, until my final peek into the oven and saw it had turned the color of cinnamon. Not good, not good! I grabbed an oven mitt and yanked it out as quickly as I could, rushed it to the sink, and scooped the flour off. It still smelled awful, so I can some hot water over it.. (I also have a slight fear of baking stones, as I think I will crack them somehow. Then I *really* won't be able to make artisan bread. So I was half-expecting the water to shatter it. Yes, silly, I know.) 
Once clean, I ran a paper towel over it and looked at my mess. I was pretty sure by now the bread would not turn out, because 1) my stone was not floured and it would stick, and 2) there was a ghastly smell of burned flour in the whole oven, so likely the bread would come out with the flavor all over it. I was about to throw away my already-formed loaf, when I decided I'd just make the loaf anyway, and if it was inedible, well, at least I knew how to form and bake it. Seemed worth a shot. 

30 minutes later, I took the bread out.. it smelled absolutely scrumptious. I waited about 15 minutes, then sliced the end off. Typically I do not like the "butts" of bread, or the "heel" as everyone else calls it. It's just too dry and bland for me. But OH MY GOODNESS. I am officially in love with artisan bread's crust. It was the perfect crunch, with a very moist, chewy crumb.. I ate another slice, both lathered in butter. YUM. 

Since my loaves were each 1 lb each, there were only 5 slices, and since I ate two, I put the other three on plates and took them to my girlfriends with whom I was having lunch later that day. To my great happiness, they loved the bread as well. I am very certainly going to make this again. <3<3 

Lay's for Camilla :)

   For those of you who have no idea who Camilla is.. she has a really cool cooking blog to which I am very addicted and it has really inspired me to get out and try more things! Anyway, she had a post about the differences between Lay's and Ruffles chips (you *really* ought to read it . I got a good laugh out of it!) Anyway.. Camilla: Lay's chips CAN have ridges, they're just called by another name - "Wavy". Bahaha, I know it's crazy to blog in response to that, but I just couldn't let it go. In your defense of course. So tell your friend that you were partially right, anyways! :)

    Now, go enjoy some WAVY Lay's!! =D

January 17th, 2012 :)

Tomorrow will be four months married to my dear, wonderful Johnboy. Early in the afternoon I will be away, visiting some old friends. I need to think of something for dinner that will surprise and enthuse him. Since of course, he has a blog, and is following mine, I really can't say what that is or what I would like to make. I'm getting pretty excited about it, and will post pictures of its preparation tomorrow evening! 

Love you, Babe! <3<3

The Man in the Pizza Aisle

   The dinner I was planning for tonight takes 7-8 hours in the slow cooker. I did not realize that until about 45 minutes ago, therefore my conclusion to look for something else to eat. Rarely do I enjoy buying convenience food, and whenever I have the timing and funds, I'll make all my food from scratch. Well, seeing as I couldn't make the shredded beef sandwiches that would take the entire morning and afternoon in the slow cooker, I sadly resorted to pizza. There's this incredible Thai Chicken Pizza that I've been wanting to try for some time now, but only had a few dollars to spend. *sigh* So frozen it was! 


   As much as I would have preferred not being seen in the convenience food aisle, I am happy for the coincidence that there was another fellow from-scratch cook there, who had just gotten off work and was going to have a simple evening, over frozen pizza as well. A gentlemanly middle-aged fellow, short black hair, a black wool, knee-length double breasted coat, and jeans. I nearly ran into him as I made my way along the freezers and, smiling, he offered me a cheery hello. I grinned back, stepped out of his way, and said "hi". He then went on to ask me if I was grabbing a quick dinner as well, and if I liked pasta? If so, there was a delicious brand of frozen pasta I could try. I said I had not tried it, but did indeed like pasta. (In my own defense, lest he think I was a Pasta-roni, Pop-Tarts & Lunchables girl, I added that I loved to cook from scratch, and tonight I simply didn't have the time.) He looked slightly shocked, that I loved to cook, and responded that he as well, loved making things at home, from scratch. We talked for a bit, then as I finally made my choice, he told me if I ever go to Door County, I should try the olive oil store there. His brother visited once and bought his several of the big bottles. One was rosemary lemon, another garlic something, and I forgot the last one. He told me one of his favorite steak recipes, how he marinates them in these flavored olive oils. He then wished me a good evening, and we parted ways.


   All the way home, I was smiling. I love how things "just happen" like that.. and something that would have otherwise been ordinary and boring.. (and perhaps slightly embarrassing!) turned into something fun, and I now have even more reasons that I need to go to Door County. :D


   Thank you, friendly man in the black wool coat at Walmart. You made my night.