Threenager

So I've been a bit lax about posting. What can I say? Life is busy. So busy, in fact, that I blinked and my baby turned 3. THREE! He's sweet, sassy, curious, funny and full of attitude some days. We call him our "threenager."



One of my favorite parts of celebrating Eli's birthday is making him a special birthday cake. This year, I wanted to incorporate his favorite things (Thomas and train tracks) into it, and I just about died when I saw the perfect cake idea on Pinterest.

It came together really well, and it was surprisingly easy! I used Hershey's chocolate cake recipe for 4 9-inch cakes (1 batch makes 2 cakes), and my favorite buttercream recipe. I am really picky about my frosting because most buttercream recipes are too cloyingly sweet for me. This one uses a dose of salt and lemon juice, and I think it makes for a perfect frosting. I also don't like to fill my cake layers with frosting because I think it's too much. I prefer jam because it helps to balance out the sweet cake and frosting, and lends a nice bit of tartness.

The carving can be a bit of a challenge, but freezing the cakes made them easy to shape. I followed the advice on this website, which lays out all the numbers for you. I also fill my cake layers using this bit of advice I learned from my Wilton decorating classes. Instead of just slopping the jam/custard/etc in between the layers, pipe a barrier of icing around the cake and use it as a "wall" for your filling. This way, when you lay the top cake down, it won't squish out all the filling and make a mess. It also prevents the filling from leaking out the sides and ruining your final frosting coat. Works perfectly!

Eli's Train Cake -  Kit Kats for train tracks and M&Ms to help it look more finished. I'm really glad I used them because I ran out of frosting along the bottom edge of the cake!

The final product was really cool and incredibly delicious. Unfortunately, a few of his friends weren't able to make the party due to a snowstorm, so we have some leftover cake. I might have to go grab another slice...just to make sure it's still good. You know, for research's sake and all.

Cake Recipe found here

Buttercream Recipe
Adapted from Demolition Desserts, Elizabeth Falkner
Ingredients:

Makes about 2 cups (I tripled this for my cake. I think that doubled would be good for 1 9-inch layer cake)

4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted softened butter

2 1/2 c. or 10 oz. powdered sugar

1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T. plus 1 t. whole milk

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 t. fresh lemon juice (I put 1/2 t.)

Instructions:

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and salt for about 30 seconds and then add half of the powdered sugar and the milk to the butter and beat again until combined. Scrape down the bowl.  

Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon juice and beat until combined.  Scrape down the bowl again.  Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy.

Set a small amount aside for piping the train tracks, if you so desire. Gel food coloring is the best choice here, as it won't alter the consistency of your buttercream.

Creating the Cake Shape
Once the cake is cooled, stick the layers in the freezer for at least a few hours (overnight is best, so they can be made a few days in advance).

For the number "3", take each layer of the cake and remove an 8cm circle from the middle. I made a paper circle template, put it on top of the cake, and cut around it. Remove about a 1/4 of one cake for the base of the three and about 1/3 of the remaining cake for the top. Position to make the number, trimming as required. It's best to put everything together on a cake board, as the final product is heavy. I cover my cake boards with foil because I like the way it looks.

Pipe your frosting in a wall around the bottom layer and fill with jam. Top with cake. Repeat for the other part of the 3. Using a light hand, go over the entire cake with frosting for your crumb coat. This doesn't have to be perfect; in fact, the point of this is to lock in the crumbs so it doesn't ruin your final layer of frosting. Just get everything thinly covered and pop it all in the fridge for at least an hour.



Note: the inside of the 3 was more difficult to frost than I expected. It's the inside of the cake, therefore it was crumbier and took more frosting to cover. I was glad I made a triple batch of buttercream.

Cover the cake with your final layer of buttercream and while it's still wet, stick on the Kit Kats for train tracks. If you're using M&M's, do those around the base now as well. Pipe the train rails carefully, and then set it all in the fridge to chill. I stored it there overnight because I didn't want to keep buttercream out that long.

As American as...

All of the taste of hot apple pie, in easy party-size format. This is another Pinterest find that I've wanted to make for a while now. I organized a Holiday Cheer party at the office this week and decided that my coworkers would make excellent test subjects. This is an incredibly simple and delicious recipe, and I think that it tastes exactly like a slice of hot apple pie. Serve with cinnamon sugar pita chips, and people will think you're a genius. Because, duh...you are.

Apple Pie Dip with Cinnamon Sugar Chips
adapted from The Peach Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp water

Note: I doubled everything for a crowd of 15 people. The original as-written recipe doesn't make a large batch...probably enough for 5-8 people.

Instructions:
Combine all the dip ingredients, except the water and cornstarch, in a small pan on medium heat.

Heat for a few minutes until it’s boiling and has extracted juice from the apple. Add cornstarch-water mixture to the “sauce." Put back on the stove top until boiling and the sauce has thickened.

Set aside. You can serve this warm or chilled. It doesn’t matter. It will taste delicious.

Apple Cranberry Pie

Given his choice of any type of pie, Alex will always choose a fruit pie. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: What kind of pie should I make for Thanks---

Alex: Fruit pie, please.

Me: ---giving. What?

Alex: Fruit pie, please.

Me: Um, okay! Done.

I didn't want to make a typical apple pie, even though it's always delicious. I also had a large bag of dried cranberries that needed a home, so I scoured allrecipes.com for some suggestions and found a winner. This pie is a perfect combination of sweet, spicy and tart. The filling is just sweet enough and the little bites of cranberry add to the unique pie personality! The only changes I made was to use cinnamon instead of allspice, and I left out the brandy because Alex's cousin is pregnant and there were a few kids who might eat the pie. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup white sugar
3 TBS all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground allspice (I used cinnamon, which I think is a better choice!)
2 1/4 pounds apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith)
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) Position oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.

In a medium bowl, toss together the dried cranberries, sugar, flour and allspice. Mix in the apples, brandy and vanilla. Place bottom crust into a 9 inch round pie pan so that it hangs 1 inch over the edges.

Pour filling into the crust and cover with top crust. Seal and flute the edges. Cut slits in the top using a small knife, and place the pie on a baking sheet to catch drips.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, or until apples are tender and crust is golden.

Not a bachelorette party!

Our wonderful friend Tara is marrying our wonderful friend, Jeff, in LA on July 3rd. She requested a girly get-together in lieu of a bachelorette party, and I was very glad that I didn't have to hunt around Sp.encers Gif.ts for yet another "Buy Me a Shot, I'm Tying the Knot!" t-shirt. We spent the morning at a lovely spa and then came back to my apartment for some dinner, games and general girly mayhem.

I started putting the extensive menu together a few weeks ago, but had to reign myself in when I took a realistic look at the fact that there were only 6 of us. I can't help it, it's the future Jewish mother in me...I need to have enough food for everyone. My worst party nightmare is to run out of food. Oy vey, the HORROR! (or should I say, the hora?) :-)

I got recipes for the great ladies on the What's Cooking message board on thenest.com, and they were all a hit! I made a few tiny modifications here and there, depending on what was in my pantry and what was affected by the insane 95+ degree heat wave we are going throughhere in MD. I also apologize in advance because I was so caught up in the party excitement that I forgot to take pictures of all the food before it was eaten!

Party Menu

Make-your-own quesadillas

White bean dip with homemade pita crisps

Vegetable crudite with ranch dip

Chips and guacamole/salsa

Ranch Oyster crackers

Spiced carrot cake with cream cheese icing

Quesadillas

This meal is pretty easy, and everyone liked it. I chopped up green peppers, mushrooms and onions, and sauteed them in olive oil until they were soft and slightly browned (about 5-6 minutes). Everyone then layered their choice of veggies and cheese onto a whole wheat tortilla and I broiled them on a foil covered baking sheet for 6-7 minutes at about 300.

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White Bean Dip (from Good Things Catered)

Amazing, delicious, flavorful...just day-um good! Thanks for the great recipe, Katie#'s!

Ingredients:

2 14oz. cans of white beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly, divided

2 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/4 tsp salt

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 1/2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I only had dried)

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp. freshly ground white pepper

1/4 c. water

1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
-In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter and add salt and onion
-Cook until onion is lightly golden, about 10 minutes.
-Add garlic, parsley, thyme, and white pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
-Deglaze pan with water and lemon juice, scraping up all browned bits.
-In the food processor, add onion mixture and half white beans and pulse, scraping down sides, until starting to smooth.
-Turn food processor to on and add the olive oil slowly while blending until smooth.
-Turn out bean mixture into a medium bowl and fold in remaining whole beans and salt and pepper if needed. It needed salt, so be sure to taste and season appropriately.

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Homemade Pita Chips (from Amber's Delectable Delights)

Super easy and really delicious with the bean dip. Amber gave me the idea for these, and since I really wanted pita chips, I altered it a little bit.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Pita Pockets

Olive Oil
Seasoning (I used Salt & Pepper, but you can use anything. Amber has a great recipe for a creole seasoning!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cut each pita pocket in half with a pizza cutter, and open them. Brush with olive oil. Cut each half into 3 triangles, and sprinkle with seasoning. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes, or until brown and crisp.

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Ranch Oyster Crackers (From Ambers Delectable Delights)
The girls raved over these and they were super easy to make. A good hit for a party or poker night.

Ingredients:
1 (14oz box) oyster crackers (can also use pretzels)

1/3 cup canola oil

3 Tbls (1.5 oz) dry ranch seasoning mix

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/2 tsp garlic powder (I didn't use because I didn't have any!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place oyster crackers in gallon size zip-lock baggie. Add in the oil, seal bag and shake to coat all crackers with oil. Open bag and add all dry seasonings, seal bag and shake to coat. Dump onto cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until oil has absorbed into the crackers. Let cool and enjoy!

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Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing (From Good Things Catered)

I will preface this by saying that carrot cake is not my favorite, nor am I a huge fan of cream cheese icing. However, the bride-to-be really loves it, so I was more than happy to whip this up for her. This is where the 90+ degree heat really affected my baking and icing. Our AC wasn't working properly, so it took a while for the cakes to cool, and my icing was running everwhere! It dripped off the cake onto the counter and I ended up keeping the finished product in the fridge until I served it (about 24 hours after baking). It was a messy but fun experience. My first layer cake! TA DA!

Also, since I made a layer cake, I doubled the frosting recipe and that seemed to be enough. I had maybe a little bit left over, so next time I might do 1.5 times instead of doubled.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp table salt

1 lb. medium carrots (6 to 7 carrots), peeled

1 1/2 c. granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar (I only had dark brown, but it still worked out fine)

4 large eggs

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil , safflower oil, or canola oil

Icing:

8 oz cream cheese, softened but still cool

5 Tbsp unsalted butter softened, but still cool

1 Tbsp sour cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. confectioners' sugar (4 1/2 ounces)

Directions:

Cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray with flour(or I used 2 9-inch pans). Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside. In food processor fitted with large shredding disk, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. Wipe out food processor workbowl and fit with metal blade. Process granulated and brown sugars and eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With machine running, add oil through feed tube in steady stream. Process until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape mixture into medium bowl. Stir in carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.

Icing: When cake is cool, process cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla in clean food processor workbowl until combined, about 10 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners' sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, then invert again onto serving platter. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Cut into squares and serve. (Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)