Donsuemor & Davidson’s Tea asked me a few months ago to take part in their blogger tea party, so of course I accepted! I love tea. And I love Donsuemor. And that means that this post is all about my little tea party featuring Davidson’s delicious teas and Donsuemor’s delicious madeleines.

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I might have mentioned a few times on this blog how big of a role tea has played in my life. My grandmother was a big tea drinker. If you mention the word “tea” to anyone who knew her, they’d say “Aggie!” Ever since she passed away last July, I’ve especially missed that. Her world renowned crazy tea & cookie obsession! If my nana didn’t have her tea & cookies… someone was going to pay. As long as she had a warm cup of tea & some kind of cookie, all was right with the world. Like that image says above- a cup of tea solves everything. And so on that note, for the tea party I decided to use my grandmother’s vintage fine china tea set (& musical teapot). It’s Yamaka China, made in occupied Japan. It’s trimmed in 14K gold & it is beautiful. It must be a rare pattern too, because after looking up Yamaka tea/snack/luncheon sets, I haven’t found it anywhere. The teapot isn’t Yamaka, I’m actually not sure what it is, but it plays ‘Tea For Two’ when you pick it up to pour it. They were both bought sometime after she got married in 1940. My grandma was scrupulous about keeping things perfect, so the set is in mint condition. Looks like it just came out of the box.

And yes, the teapot still plays.

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I also used her vintage lace tablecloth, which I never even knew she had. I also hadn’t really ever looked at her china before, but when I decided to use it I really noticed how stunning it is. And I love the fact that the plates have a special little sunken-in area off to the side of the plate for the tea cups to sit in! Brilliant! Plenty of room on the plates for those madeleines. I went & bought some pretty flowers (that matched the tea set) and put them in another flowered tea pot for decoration. I’m not 100% sure what kind of flowers they are, but they’re gorgeous. I put out my jadeite bunny sugar bowl and I put out my grandma’s crystal salt & pepper shakers, just ’cause they’re pretty to look at. Then I got out some good silver teaspoons. All that …and I was ready for a party! A tea party, of course.

Thanks to Anna who pointed out the heart shape in the tea bag!

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Donsuemor sent four types of their madeleines: chocolate, chocolate dipped, lemon zest and original. Perfect for a tea party. And of course Davidson’s Tea sent three amazing teas: Bing Cherry with Almond, Tulsi Hibiscus Flower and Vanilla Cream Spice. All of the teas are organic & these happen to all be caffeine free. And did I mention delicious?

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I love the Vanilla Cream Spice tea. It’s very, very delicious. It was my favorite, although honestly I haven’t tried the Bing Cherry yet. The Hibiscus tea would be amazing iced! I think this weekend, since the weather will be warm again, I’ll make a big pitcher of hibiscus iced tea with some German rock sugar. And while I don’t think I could pick a favorite madeleine; if I did it’d be a tie between the chocolate-dipped and lemon zest. I can honestly say they’re all amazing, there’s not a bad one in the bunch. But I’m a tea lover, and I’m a French cookie (& pastry) lover too, so I guess I’m not the best judge. Or maybe I am a good judge for that reason!

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And coincidentally, it may seem as though I color-coordinated everything to match the tea packets, but I didn’t! Haha. I swear. I was planning on using the jadeite bowl and her pink-patterned tea set before I even realized the tea packets matched everything perfectly. But yeah, that’s just the way I do things, you know. I like to be 100% coordinated. *wink*

All in all, it was a sweet little tea party on a beautiful end-of-April afternoon. Even Arwyn requested some tea. I think she liked the Hibiscus flower one.

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Aren’t the flowers lovely, too? Thank you so very much to Donsuemor & Davidson’s Tea for helping me host such a beautiful tea party. Not only that, thank you for helping me rediscover something beautiful of my grandmother’s that I hadn’t given a lot of thought to. I had a wonderful time. I’m just sorry my tea-loving nana wasn’t here to enjoy it with us. But I guess she kind of was.

You can find Donsuemor on the web, on Twitter, and on Facebook. You can also find Davidson’s Tea on Twitter & Facebook, too! So go become a fan, become a follower & buy some of their treats.

This year I had a few Valentine’s Day ideas, and all of them, or almost all of them, reminded me of fairy tales. Or stories. All by coincidence. Months ago, maybe around Halloween, I ordered these ballerina toppers with absolutely no idea what I was going to use them for. And then, Pola (my wonderful reader, #1 commenter & all-around awesome friend!) sent me a lovely pink gift:

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It’s a pink babycakes mini-cupcake maker, and I love it. What an amazing surprise gift to get! It matches Lola and it basically the cutest thing ever. Not to mention it came before Valentine’s Day… so together with those ballerinas, it inspired me. I decided I’d make bright red cupcakes, top ‘em with some thick white frosting, some sprinkles, and then those ballerinas; if that doesn’t say Valentine’s Day, I don’t know what does. Well there are probably other things that say it, but these do too. They also reminded me of that old fairy tale about the twelve dancing princesses.

When I was a kid, I had these little mini-books, European import type things. They were all fairy tales, and one of them was Kate Crackernuts; yes- admittedly a very amusing name but a good story:

A king had a daughter named Anne, and his queen had a daughter named Kate, who was less beautiful. (Jacobs’ notes reveal that in the original story both girls were called Kate and that he had changed one’s name to Anne.) The queen was jealous of Anne, but Kate loved her. The queen consulted with a henwife to ruin Anne’s beauty, and after three tries, they enchanted Anne’s head into a sheep’s head. Kate wrapped Anne’s head in a cloth, and they went out to seek their fortunes.

They found a castle where the king had two sons, one of whom was sickening, and whoever watched him by night vanished. Kate asked for shelter for herself and her “sick” sister, and offered to watch. At midnight, the sick prince rose and rode off. Kate sneaked onto his horse and collected nuts as they rode through the woods. A green hill where the fairies were dancing opened to receive the prince, and Kate rode in with him unnoticed. The second night is passed as the first but Kate found a fairy baby in the hill. It played with a wand, and she heard fairies say that three strokes of the wand would cure Anne. So she rolled nuts to distract the baby and get the wand, then cured her sister.

The third night, Kate said she would stay only if she could marry the prince, and that night, the baby played with a bird, three bites of which would cure the sick prince. She distracted the baby with the nuts again to get it. As soon as they returned to the castle, she cooked it, and the prince was cured by eating it. Meanwhile his brother had seen Anne and fell in love with her, so they all married — the sick brother to the well sister, and the well brother to the sick sister.

Cinderella-ish, in terms of the “ugly” sister & the “pretty” sister, but it also contains pieces of the Twelve Dancing Princesses story, which is a Brother’s Grimm tale. It’s German in origin (there I go again with the German..) and has been used in various adaptations, some of which reducing the number of sisters to 6 or even 3. It’s considerably longer to sum up than the Kate Crackernuts story, but it’s available online if you’re curious. It’s an interesting, magical story & as a child in ballet class, I was a fan of any & every story that mentioned dancing, or ballet.

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I’m a sucker for teh cute, & all things retro, and these ballerina toppers fall into both those categories. They also remind me of when I was a kid & I’d get those bakery cupcakes with the thick frosting & the plastic ballerina’s painted gold or silver on top, and that feeling of nostalgia kinda fit in with the fairy tale thing too. These are my version of the twelve dancing princesses.

However, I admit- I made these just to try the cupcake maker, so my decorating job isn’t the best kinda sucks. But I’ll do better next time, I promise. That’s what happens when you decide to make cupcakes just to use your new cupcake maker & your pretty ballerina toppers.

But just wait until you see what else is going on for Valentine’s Day around here.

RED VELVET MINI-CUPCAKES (from the babycakes cupcake maker recipe book)

Supposedly akes about 16, I got 24

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• a dash of salt
• ¼ cup butter, softened
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 ½ teaspoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs until well blended. Beat in sour cream. Blend in dry ingredients. Blend in food coloring & vanilla.
3. Fill each cup with about 2 tablespoons batter. Bake in cupcake maker for 6-7 minutes (or in oven, for 15-20 minutes) or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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It was really easy to use, although I found one heaping tablespoon was enough to fill each liner. However my liners were a bit smaller than the indentations, so maybe if you don’t use a liner you’ll end up using around 2 tablespoons. The cupcakes baked evenly, rose really nicely (as you can see) and didn’t overflow. They cooked evenly as well. The booklet says to check each cupcake because one part might heat quicker than another, but all of mine cooked evenly. I have to say, I enjoyed using it immensely. It was fun!

There are people online reviewing this saying it’s a terrible appliance; it doesn’t work, it doesn’t bake evenly, it’s hard to clean if you don’t use liners. They’re all nuts. One, it does work. Unless the person writing the review got a lemon or a broken one, they’re crazy. These photos were all taken from the first time I used it. I’m not a genius, I’m not a pastry chef, I’m not a mechanical whiz and yet WOW. Magically, it actually baked my cupcakes! How shocking. I plugged it in and it worked, imagine that. Two, my mini-liners fit just fine, yes they were a bit smaller but what difference does it make? Just adjust the amount you put in like I said above.. it’s not rocket science people. Three, I haven’t used it without liners yet so I can’t say either way, but judging from the removal of the small amount of excess batter I had to clean off mine, it shouldn’t be as hard as they say. It’s non-stick, so basically as soon as it cools, whatever batter is on it, you can just scrape it off gently. Duh. It actually seemed as though the cleanup was far easier than when I make traditional cupcakes.

If you know someone who likes to bake, or who likes cupcakes, this might make a really cute Valentine’s Day gift for them.

Pardon my boring white liners, the only mini-ones I had were white, black with ghosts or yellow with Easter eggs.
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And the recipe was pretty good too. What is it about mini-cupcakes that makes you want to eat them all? I must have eaten 5-6 of them, unfrosted, during my little photo shoot here. Anyway, my poor self-control aside, like I said, the recipe was good. I used a regular vanilla confectioner’s sugar buttercream on top because I’m not a fan of cream cheese frosting.

Basically, now I kinda want the donut maker, pie maker & cake pop maker too. Is that bad? Do I really need all these appliances? Will it make me lazy? I don’t know the answers to these questions. All I know is, it’s the time of year when people express their love, so here I am to say: I love my babycakes mini cupcake maker. Thank you Pola!

POLLY PERRY!

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Enjoy your new cookbook, Polly! I’ve sent your address to Quirk Books already!

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I received this book, The Cookiepedia, a few months ago. Quirk Books sent me a copy & it’s pretty awesome. So awesome, in fact, I’m willing to ignore that little comment about how “trendy cupcakes may come & go”… *wink* Because you see, I love me some cupcakes, I do. Hell, I named my site after ‘em. But cookies are awesome. And they remind me of being a kid. Plus, cupcakes are portable cakes, yes, but cookies are the most portable of all! They’re the über-portable treat-type thing thats easiest to bring with you anywhere you go. You can ship ‘em to somewhere like Abu Dhabi with minimal damage (for the most part) & they’re eaten in less than three bites, no napkin needed. So yah, I dig cookies.

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One of my favorite things about the book (aside from the pages & pages of delicious cookies, I mean) is this quote on one of the opening pages:

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So true. I could use a nap right now.

So in the book, Stacy really goes into detail on defining popular baking terms such as sifting, dusting, creaming, piping, etc. She also gives helpful tips on how to get the best possible results, making this book really good for beginner bakers. I don’t consider myself a beginner per se, however I really enjoyed reading it cover to cover. You can never know everything, or remember everything, & everyone can use a book filled with a few refreshers on “the basics.” The book is also, and more importantly, full of crazy-good sounding cookie recipes, from really simple ones to more exotic ones. From cornmeal cookies with rosemary to alfajores with dulce de leche filling, to green tea cookies & back to pignoli cookies. Being that it’s fall, the first cookie that jumped out at me was the frosted maple pecan cookie.

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I’m not gonna lie, any recipe that says ‘toast the nuts’ makes me giggle like a 13-year-old boy, and anything that makes me giggle is worth looking into further. Also, I might have mentioned before that Jay’s favorite cookie I ever made was the maple-iced fall leaf cookie. Well have I mentioned that he stalks me to make more of them? No? Well, he does. He drops hints, he talks about them all the time, etc, etc. If I make another kind of cookie, he gets almost offended. Same with the french toast cupcakes. If I make a chocolate cupcake, or lemon, or orange, or whatever… he pouts because it isn’t maple frosted French toast cupcake with crumbled bacon. So when I opened the book & saw these, I thought of him first. I knew he’d love them, & truth be told I haven’t baked anything for him in quite some time; rock star that he is will soon be off in Texas playing the Goregrowlers Ball so I might as well give him some homemade, home-baked goodness before he’s down there away from home, playing death metal with a bunch of sweaty men, eating (probably) fast food.

Anyway, making cookies is so much fun. I almost forgot how fun. It really is a totally different experience than cupcakes, or pie. My first attempt was a failure; I didn’t let the butter soften enough, then didn’t chill the dough enough either & so the cookies spread & were thin & crispy on the edges. Blah. My own fault, admittedly. Putting the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes on a night where it’s hot & humid isn’t smart, especially when it was supposed to have chilled for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. However they tasted amazing! Great maple flavor. So I knew I had to try again, this time the right way. Also on a drier, much cooler day (whereas my previous attempt at making them was on a day we were having a heat spell in October; an unheard of 84° degrees!) since the weather the first time didn’t help my non-chilled dough any.

Yeah, they came out amazing the second time around.

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And whattaya know, the next time I made them, it was a very, very cool day (actually it was almost freezing out by the time I turned the oven on to bake), I followed all the directions exactly (including letting the dough chill for an hour), & they were a rollicking success. There’s a time & a place to be a baking rebel… cookies aren’t that time. There are some who’ll tell you there’s no room for rebellion in baking at all, but I don’t believe that. I’ve used all-purpose instead of cake flour like it’s nothing, substituted mayonnaise for eggs & made my own buttermilk like a champ. From now on though, I’ll keep the rebel yell for cupcakes. Cookies seem to be a bit more temperamental. But that’s okay, I love them anyway. And when done right… oh boy.

Like I said- the second time around, these babies were freakin’ AWESOMESAUCE. Instead of using Stacy’s exact vanilla frosting on them, I added a smidgen of maple extract to it (hence the mauve-y brownish color to the frosting). You could also add some maple syrup to it, or just keep it vanilla. I swear, this way it really was like eating pancakes!

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Why does my handwriting always come out so bad on labels when I know they’ll be in pictures? Ugh.

Anyway, I was really pleased with these cookies, and the book, and it made more than I had anticipated. So packing some of ‘em up for Jay (he took them to band practice, and let me just say- HUGE HIT) & other lucky folk, I came across a great idea. I decided to use some of my jars to pack the cookies in. I used two of my flip-top lid jars (the ones I’ve used previously for pickles & blueberry jam) and for the third batch I used a 16 ounce wide-mouth Ball® jar. So cute. Imagine the lid covered with a square of plaid fabric, or even just the way I did it: a cute label (thanks to this post for that idea) & some twine… it’s just the cutest idea ever for sending someone home with a bunch of cookies. Way cuter than Tupperware, anyway.

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So now that I’ve shared my cookies & cookie-packaging ideas with you, I’m going to share something else: I’m giving away an actual copy of The Cookiepedia, Stacy’s book, so you can make these cookies too!

Exciting, I know. What do you have to do to win? Easy. Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite cookie of all time is. Not only that, but tell me why. Do you love gingersnaps because your grandma taught you to make them? Do you adore chocolate chip cookies because you made the Toll House kind with your mom at Christmas? Or maybe you love oatmeal cookies because they remind you of a happy moment including wacky tobaccy & your college life. Whatever it is, tell me. I’ll choose the winner via random.org one week from today. U.S. residents only, please. I know, I suck. But I’m cute.

And for bonus entries (bonus entries are not mandatory):

• Follow me on Twitter! After that, comment here telling me you’re a follower (I have to accept you, so give me some time, but you can comment after you make the request- you don’t have to wait until I accept!). Make sure you also tweet @ me telling me you commented here first.
• Then, tweet about the giveaway! Copy & paste the following (or write up your own tweet, just make sure you link back to this post)!
  

  @CupcakeRehab is giving away @TheCookiepedia by Stacy Adimando thanks to @QuirkBooks! I entered to win, so can you: http://cupcakerehab.com/2011/11/c-is-for-cookie-thats-good-enough-for-me-a-book-giveaway/

• Become a Facebook fan of Cupcake Rehab! Then come back here and comment again letting me know.
• Share this post on your Facebook page (either personal or blog, whichever) and then comment telling me you did! (This one is honor system)
• Follow Stacy herself at @TheCookiepedia… then come back here & let me know.
• Follow @quirkbooks on Twitter, then guess what? That’s right, comment here again telling me you did.
• Become a fan of Quirk Books on Facebook… and you know the drill.

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Teavana teas are the best. I am in love with them. My personal favorites (for drinking) are Cacao Mint Black, Samurai Chai Mate/White Ayurvedic Chai blend and JavaVana Mate. However I haven’t found one yet that I’m not into. My mother has a ton of them that her friend Mara (hi, Mara!) sent her in a ‘Tea Lovers’ gift set, so that’s where I go when I want to try a new flavor. Or when I want to experiment. Like, for example, what I wanted to do when I got this particular book.

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A few months ago, I ordered a book that I had been sorta lusting over for a while. It’s called Canning For a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff/photographs by Rinne Allen. It arrived on a warm (okay- muggy, hot & slightly stifling), beautiful August day during which I had been out gardening, so I only briefly flipped through it at first. After cleaning up, coming inside & showering, I settled in with a can of ice cold Coke Zero & pored over every page. What a freakin’ gorgeous book! Filled with amazing recipes (not just canning but baking too!) and glorious photos. If you don’t have it, buy it. You won’t regret it.

One of the recipes in this book was a recipe for tea jelly. Just jelly made with tea. Well, tea, sugar, pectin and lemon juice. Sort of like an iced tea jelly, or a sweet tea jelly. I knew I had to make it. So I did. And the tea I used was Teavana’s Frutto Bianco Pearls white tea, which is described as:

Tropical fruits effortlessly complement hand-rolled, delicate white tea pearls. A blend of kiwi, coconut and candied tropical fruit bits tempt you to pull up a hammock and sip your cares away! Ingredients: white tea, apples, rose hips, lemongrass, citrus pieces, kiwi bits, coconut chips, lemon myrtle, candied pineapple & papaya.

-From Teavana.com

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I know, it sounds to die for. It is. And I thought it’d make a fantastic jelly.

The tea in the canister.

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It did indeed make a beautiful looking jelly…

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I have to say, I love all the recipes for tea-infused jellies & jams (as if you couldn’t tell?). It’s such an easy way to really make an average every day item stand out. It turns an ordinary preserve into something different, something that people can’t quite put their finger on. My family has a big history with tea; being Irish, my Nana Agnes’ side of the family drank tea like it was going out of style..I was raised on it, although coffee was a big part of life too, tea seemed to be the main component. It was always around.. black teas, green teas, herbal teas, sweetened with milk & sugar or just honey. When I was sick as a kid, my mom or nana would make me a big mug of tea with milk & sugar, and even now whenever I’m not feeling my best, I find that it’s a great cure. Tea is a huge part of my childhood memories. Now that I’m older, & my tastes have matured slightly, I like fancier stuff; but I always have a soft spot for a hot cup of black tea or English breakfast tea with milk & sugar.

So I made the jelly, labeled it, and put it aside. I sent a jar to Lyns (upon her request & also as payment for all the chutney’s she sent!) and promptly shoved my jars to the back of the line. Then recently, one Sunday morning, I was looking for another jam and found it! And I thought, “I need to make something special to serve this with.” So I took out a jar and I made some scones from the book, Regan’s Oat Scones, just specifically to have with this delicious jelly, for a brunch/lunch kinda thing.

Speaking of, you can use any tea you like, even herbal tea if you can’t tolerate caffeine, to make this jelly. Liana says she’s had excellent results with Oolong & Earl Grey, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use pretty much any kind of tea there is. Even pre-measured tea bags (although you’d typically need about 3 teabags to each tablespoon loose tea required). Trader Joe’s makes a white pomegranate tea that’d probably give lovely results, & my mother drinks a spicy vanilla chai by Bigelow that would also make a great jelly. Peppermint teas, citrus teas, musky teas. EXPERIMENT! Use a wintery blend for winter, a spring-y one for warmer weather… it’d be such a fun way to try new teas in a different way.

TEA JELLY (adapted from Liana Krisstoff’s book, Canning For a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry)

Makes 3 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons loose tea leaves
• 2 ¼ cups boiling water
• ¼ cup strained fresh lemon juice
• 3 ¼ cups sugar
• 3 cups of Green Apple Pectin stock (see recipe below) or what I did- 1 package Certo liquid pectin

Directions:

1. Prepare for water bath canning: Sterilize the jars and keep them hot (in water) in the canning pot, put a small plate in the freezer, and put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl.
2. Put the tea leaves in a heatproof bowl and pour in the boiling water. Let steep for 5 minutes*, then pour through a sieve into a 6-to 8-quart saucepan.
3. Stir the pectin/pectin stock, lemon juice and sugar into the tea. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture registers about 220° F on a candy thermometer or a small dab of it passes the freezer test (place some on the frozen plate and put back in the freezer for one minute, then remove; if the mixture wrinkles when you nudge it, it’s ready), about 25-30 minutes.
4. Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a clean, folded dish towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.
5. Ladle the hot jelly into the jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace at the top. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid & band on each jar, adjusting the band so it’s fingertip tight.
6. Return the jars to the canning pot in a canning rack, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes to process. Remove the jars to the folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours, except to check the seal after one hour by pressing down on the center of each lid; if it can be pushed down it hasn’t sealed, and must be refrigerated immediately. After 12 hours, label sealed jars & store.

Instead of printing labels, I just tied some of the labels that come with the book (YES! Labels come with the book! SO CUTE!) on with some twine.

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How cute are they? Very. How awful is my handwriting? Very.

The deliciously special item I chose to make to eat it with was a scone. Not just any scone- but one made with oats, yogurt and honey (or maple syrup, but I used honey). Add the tea-infused jelly as a topping and it’s a free train ride to dreamy-town. I love scones anyway, but these are totally different than any other scones I’ve made. And with the jelly; seriously just forget it. No words. I halved this recipe because 5 eggs was a bit ridiculous at the time, although I wish I hadn’t! You can never have too many scones… especially these beautiful scones right here.

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REGAN’S OAT SCONES (from Canning For a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry)

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking (not instant) oats, plus extra for sprinkling (if desired)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 2 cups (4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
• ½ cup yogurt
• ½ cup honey or maple syrup
• 5 large eggs
• turbinado sugar (optional, for sprinkling)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, oats, baking powder, sugar and salt. Using your fingertips, two knives held together, or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the largest pieces are the size of peas.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey or maple syrup, and 4 of the eggs. Pour the mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated; do not overmix.. The dough will be somewhat sticky.
4. Turn out the dough onto a well-floured surface. Flour your hands, then pat the dough out to ¾” to 1″ inch thick. Cut into 2 ½” inch rounds and place on the prepared baking sheets. Gather up leftover dough, handling it as little as possible, and pat it out to cut more rounds. If the kitchen is warm, put the baking sheets in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to firm up, so they don’t spread too much in the oven.
5. In a small bowl whisk the remaining egg together with 2 teaspoons cold water and brush the tops of the scones with it. Sprinkle with oats or turbinado sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating and switching the pans halfway through, until deep golden brown. Remove to wire racks.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably split & spread with jam or jelly.

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I got about 19 scones using the above recipe halved & using my 3-inch biscuit cutter to make them. You may think that’s plenty, but not when there are a ton of grabby hands around asking for baked goods all the time! I also used oats & gold crystal sugar (instead of turbinado) on top. They were so amazing, I could barely stop eating them. Thankfully, they’re (slightly) healthier than most scones. Sweet, but not too sweet. They’d work beautifully alongside a savory jelly too, I bet. Like a pepper jelly that’s on the sweeter side?

As I mentioned above in the tea jelly recipe, the author Liana prefers to use a homemade pectin stock for her jellies & jams. I am not so particular, but I’ll include the directions for doing so here just in case you’re far more ambitious than I. I’m lazy, remember? But now is a great time to do this because of the crazy amount of apples available. It’s apple season, after all. Make some & stock up on it if you’re not a lazy bitch. Like me.

GREEN APPLE PECTIN STOCK (also from Canning For a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry)

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds Granny Smith apples

Directions:

1. Cut the apples into eighths, removing the stems, and put the apples- peels, cores, seeds & all- in a 6-to 8-quart saucepan. Add 6 cups water, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the apples are completely broken down and the peels have separated from the pulp, 30-40 minutes.
2. Set a very large, very fine mesh sieve (or jelly bag) over a deep bowl or pot. Pour the apples and their juice into the sieve and let drain for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally but not pressing down too hard on the solids; discard the solids. You should have about 5 ½ cups juice.
3. Rinse the saucepan and pour in the apple juice. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the juice is reduced to about 3 cups (pour into a large heatproof measuring cup to check it), about 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a clean container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for several months.

Lyns had tried the jar I sent her long before I remembered mine, and she said it was amazing- I have to agree. This tea made a spectacular jelly! It also just goes to show you that you don’t have to make the pectin stock to get a delicious jelly. Of course, I’m sure it feels slightly more rewarding if you do. But lazy bitches unite- we don’t need no stinking apple stock. We have modern convenience at our fingertips.

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And the scones, they are phenomenal. Together, they’d be a great pair on Thanksgiving morning for breakfast. They have a sweet/not sweet borderline flavor that makes them more biscuit-y & perfect for accompanying a hearty bacon & eggs breakfast too. Also would be excellent on a cold winter’s night, right before bed. I had mine warm, and I definitely think they’re best eaten that way. Warm yours up if you’re eating them the next day, etc, or even toast them.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, it’s almost that time! With each post, as I did for Halloween, I’m going to post a vintage or retro postcard, just because I like ‘em.

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How professional looking, right?

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Recently, I was lucky enough to be sent a large box (yes- a box of boxes!) from Bake-A-Box. Inside was a variety of different-sized bakery boxes. Needless to say, I was super excited about this. And when presented with an opportunity to go somewhere for dinner, I decided to bring some cupcakes in my nifty new boxes. Killing two birds with one stone; bringing a lovely dessert to my host & also testing out these convenient little portable cupcake containers. Not to mention the fact that this coming Monday, September 12th, is my blog’s 4th birthday! Usually, I do a giveaway or a big birthday bash, but this year I just wasn’t into it. However, at the very least, I thought we I deserved some prettiful cupcakes after almost 4 years of bloggin’, rockin’ & rollin’… & beating people with whisks.

So me & Lola got to work.

Lola lookin’ foine & reppin’ Sourpuss Clothing! Have you met Lola?

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You have to make a pretty dynamic cupcake to have it be prettier than Lola, just saying. My first attempt (strawberry shortcake cupcakes) was kind of a failure. Not for any other reason than they just weren’t “post-worthy.” They looked okay, tasted awesome, but just didn’t have enough oompf or pizzazz to blog photos of ‘em. I mean, look at these cupcakes I posted last week. They’re perfection. I can’t follow those up with average-looking, amateurish cupcakes. But not being one to waste perfectly good food, I packed up the boxes with them anyway to give to another deserving person. Not someone any less important, mind you, just someone who appreciates the taste more than the aesthetics. Then I went to Plan B: lemon marmalade cupcakes, all of them piped high with seven-minute frosting; some topped with marmalade, frosted, then toasted & some not topped with marmalade, but with candy lemon slices on the frosting. Ta-da!

See, I had an open 16 oz. jar of strawberry jam in the fridge & the urge to use it. Sure, it’s being eaten on toast & scones & bread, etc. But I wanted to bake with it. So the first batch was a vanilla cupcake filled to the bursting point with this strawberry jam, then topped with a Swiss meringue buttercream. Seeing as how those weren’t photo-worthy, I went on to make these, crossing my fingers they’d be better. But… the jam was mysteriously much emptier when I went back to use it. Not wanting to open another jar, I used the lemon marmalade I’d made recently instead of the strawberry jam (recipe here). The cupcakes are bright, lemony, sweet & tart yet had a slight complexity from the tea; plus they’re vintage-y looking. They were basically the perfect cupcake to showcase these awesome boxes- and celebrate 4 years of Cupcake Rehab!

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LEMON MARMALADE CUPCAKES

Makes about 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 8-oz. jar Lady Grey’s lemon marmalade
• 2 cups flour
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Line cupcake or muffin tins with papers; set aside. Into a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg & mix thoroughly. Combine vanilla with milk in a glass measuring cup.
2. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk mixture and starting and ending with the flour. Do not overbeat.
3. Add ¾ cup marmalade, a ¼ cup at a time, until combined.
4. Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling cups about ¾ full. Bake until a cake tester inserted near the centers comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed lightly in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven; spoon a teaspoon of marmalade on top of each while still hot, then remove from pan after 10 minutes. Let cool completely out of the pan before frosting.

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SEVEN-MINUTE FROSTING

Makes about 4 cups, plenty of frosting for 18, possibly 24 cupcakes depending on how high you frost!

Directions:

1. Combine ¾ cup sugar with the water and corn syrup in a small saucepan; clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling, without stirring, until syrup reaches 230° degrees.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer running, add remaining tablespoon sugar, beating to combine.
3. As soon as sugar syrup reaches 230° degrees, remove from heat. With mixer on medium-low speed, pour syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl) and stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 7 minutes. Use immediately.

For those of you who have trouble with 7-minute frosting: the key is to accurately measure the temperature of the boiling sugar/water mixture. It MUST reach 230°! If not, the frosting will probably not work. I’ve never had a failed attempt at 7-minute frosting, and that’s because my candy thermometer is my best friend. If you don’t have one- get one. Especially if you plan on ever attempting cooked frosting’s or if you want to start to make candy or begin canning. Also, you probably need a stand mixer to make it. If not, your arm will most likely become numb & fall off long before the frosting is done. Have you ever tried to mix something with a hand mixer for over 7 minutes straight? You can also double the above recipe for frosting layer cakes or 24+ batches of cupcakes. Also, when it says use immediately, it means immediately. Do not wait. If you wait even a little bit, it’ll get clumpier and not pipe as smoothly. So make this frosting only when you’re 100% ready to use it.

Anyway, I piped the frosting high with my favorite tip, then toasted it slightly. For the rest, I used a quartered slice of candy lemon. Then of course I put them in my new Bake-A-Box boxes for delivery. Thanks to Lyns for the cute little yellow scalloped liners; they were perfect with these! Not only did the scalloping match the boxes, but the yellow was just the right color.

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The thing I hate about most boxes- the assembly- was a cinch with these. And they were really cute! Not boring or plain, even though they’re white they’re attractive. People even asked me where I got them, or suggested I bought the cupcakes at a bakery *gasp* AS IF! So yes, I’d definitely buy from them, and yes, I’d encourage my fellow bakers to do so as well. The cupcake holders inside pop in and out, so you could fill them with cakes, cookies or brownies too. And they come in a ton of different sizes. The shipping was super fast too! Go visit Bake-A-Box & tell them I sent you (I always wanted to say that).

Anyway, I love the yellow sunshine-y-ness of these cupcakes. The scalloped edges of the liners & the box not to mention the colors remind me of my marigolds.

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It’s been a tough summer, and I know that there’s more rough spots ahead. And between my grandma’s passing, my crazy neighbor’s antics (another story for another day), an East Coast earthquake & then a friggin’ hurricane, it’s been full of excess drama & bullshit that I really didn’t need. But I’m making the best of things, and trying to enjoy at least a little bit of every day. I want to thank Nicole at Bake-A-Box for sending the fantastic boxes… all you bakers out there, go buy some! They’re awesome. And I want to thank all my readers & followers! You guys are the best & you make every blog post worth it, not to mention the past 4 years.

I may not have the most popular blog ever, I may not make the most beautiful or most creative cupcakes (however I do happen think they’re pretty amazing), I may not have the best or even the funniest blog (although, shit, I think I’m fucking HILARIOUS), I may not get so many hits my server overloads weekly, I may not have KitchenAid giveaways weekly or 560 comments kissing my ass on every post. But none of that has ever been important to me, nor was it why I got into doing this. I got into it for fun, all I really wanted to do was to bake fun stuff & share it with other cool like-minded people. So to me the fact that I have almost 1,000 Facebook fans & over 800 Twitter followers just blows me away. Every single time I get a comment or an e-mail that praise me or compliment me or the blog in the slightest, it automatically turns into a good day. That’s how much I value all of you. And don’t worry- I’m doing just fine in the visitors department, by the way, of course I ain’t on Dooce level… but who is? Other than Dooce, I mean. So no, I don’t make so much money off the blog that I can retire at 30, I don’t get any huge compensation for it, I don’t get money or trips thrown at me, nor is it always easy to do this; between the tech aspect, the design aspect, the social media aspect & the recipe aspect itself, it’s actually like a full-time second job. But I adore it. And it’s my personal opinion that anyone in anything JUST for money or fame is a phony, so rest assured when you read this blog, you’re reading the work of someone who puts 100% into it just for the fun & enjoyment of it, and for the community of it, not for any monetary gain. Not that that’s a bad thing at all… it’s just not where I’m at. I don’t give a shit about getting a TV show that might air after The Neely’s, getting an advertising deal with Le Creuset, or that I may have too filthy of a mouth to impress Martha. But again, I don’t give a flying fig about that or anything else; especially what people may think of me. Never have, never will. I’m in it for my amusement & yours, and that’s all, whatever positive things come from that are greatly appreciated & welcomed, but definitely not needed. I’m having a blast just the way things are & I hope my readers are too. The day it becomes a chore or just a way to make a buck is the day I quit. I enjoy it, I hope you do too, and I hope it continues for a long time.

So it’s been four whole years! And I, for one, am not going anywhere. Not anytime soon. But I just want to thank you all… you all who’s e-mails & comments make it doubly & triply worthwhile… all of the amazing bakers & cupcakers I’ve gotten the chance to “meet”… all the great businesses who I’ve had the pleasure of discovering… THANK YOU! YOU LIKE ME, YOU REALLY LIKE ME!

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I look forward to spending many more with you.

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So speaking of Europe & European confections, last month, the people at Donsuemor contacted me and asked me if I’d come up with a recipe featuring one of their delicious French cookies for their Dessert a Day project. Being a little bit of a  francophile (although also an anglophile, and pretty much someone who’s enthusiastic about everything in general, especially desserts), I immediately jumped at the chance. I chose the French almond cakes, or financiers & I could not wait to get my hands on them. For a non-French company that’s fairly new (started in 1976), the selection of items & the implied quality impressed me. So I really was excited to make something with these little cakes… oh, and eat some too.

And then… they arrived! Pretty quick, actually. Oh, happy day!

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Sacré bleu! I’d been brainstorming all kinds of recipes for these guys. Ah, little did they know when I first opened that box what their ultimate fate would be. Mes petits financiers, mes pauvres. Groped at by greedy hands was the least of it.

French Almond Cakes, or <financiers>, as they are known in France, are elegant little cakes with the rich and nutty taste of sweet almond. Soft and moist with crisp edges – a “Donsuemor signature” – these elegant treats are made with the finest quality, all natural ingredients.

Led by the drive and determination of our talented French pastry chef and dedicated team, inspired by the Parisian original, Donsuemor proudly launched the French Almond Cakes in September 2009. Although we had the desire to bake other products over the years, we committed to do so only if they could live up to the standards of the madeleine. The French Almond Cakes exceed our standard, and thus became the first new product Donsuemor developed since the first madeleine was baked in Berkeley in 1976.

History of Financiers

Financiers were created by a baker named Lasne in the financial district of Paris in the 1890′s. Named after the rich financiers who frequented his bakery, traditionally baked in the shape of gold bars, Lasne designed the little unglazed cake to be enjoyed without utensils or risk to suit, shirt or tie.

Financiers are as rich as the bankers they were named for. They are made with ground almonds, butter, sugar, flour, and eggs – pure and simple ingredients.  Once you taste Donsuemor’s French Almond Cakes, you will know why Donsuemor is the one you remember.

- text & French Almond cakes photo from Donsuemor.com

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I had to resist eating them all before making the recipe, but I managed. I also managed to keep them out of everyone else’s hands. Partly because I hid the box. Yes I did, & I have no problem admitting that. Although people I know will read that & get a bit miffed, I’m sure, considering I think I told them there weren’t any more. Oops.

The quality & taste was definitely what I had expected. Anyone who knows me or reads the blog knows I’m honest to a fault, so trust me here. My father liked them so much, he asked for the website name (perhaps ordering me a gift… hmmm?).  They were very moist, very cake-like, and had a great almond flavor. Because it was so warm & humid, I decided to go with an ice cream instead of a baked dessert; an almond ice cream to be exact. I crumbled up some of the cakes and mixed it in with the ice cream, and then topped each serving with a cookie. Mmmm.

Delicious little surprises in the form of chunks of almond cake throughout, plus those sliced almonds.

Do you love my ice cream sundae glasses? Not to mention ma petite tour Eiffel!

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I’m not kidding when I say this is some amazing ice cream. Fantastique. You know birthday cake ice cream? It has bits of cake floating through it, and sometimes ribbons of buttercream or sprinkles? Well, that’s awesome, but too much for me. I find it too sweet after a few bites. This was not. I ate way more of this ice cream than you’d think was humanly possible. Seriously. I even ate it for dinner one night. I broke out my grandmother’s vintage jadeite dessert plates, too. This ice cream (& me) certainly deserved it.

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Okay, enough teasing. You want the recipe, don’t you?

ALMOND ICE CREAM WITH CRUMBLED DONSUEMOR FRENCH ALMOND FINANCIERS

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4-6 Donsuemor French almond cakes, crumbled, plus more kept intact for topping (if desired)

Directions:

1. Whisk together cream, milk, sugar, and eggs in a heavy medium saucepan until they’re completely combined.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon. Strain custard through a sieve into a medium bowl. Add vanilla & almond extracts and stir to mix thoroughly. Cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator (covered), 6-8 hours.
3. Freeze in ice cream maker according to maker’s directions, adding the crumbled cakes 2-3 minutes before it’s finished. Ice cream will be the consistency of soft serve, freeze overnight for firmer set.

I have the KitchenAid ice cream maker stand mixer attachment, so it took about 20 minutes in there. However I made mine on a night when we had torrential rain, incredibly high humidity and it was pretty hot on top of that. Thanks to those conditions, my first attempt at photos were an epic fail; sure they looked cute, mainly thanks to my vintage plate & Eiffel tower set up… but the ice cream was a melty mess. On top of the initial ice cream’s soft consistency, it just melted all over the place in the high humidity. So I popped it in the freezer and the next day, voilà, perfection. With a mug of hazelnut coffee made in my Keurig… *sigh* However it’s positively French-Victorian picnic style when served with a cut crystal goblet filled with some cold sparkling Effervé lemonade.

Effervé had nothing to do with this post, it’s just delicious lemonade.

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A great way to salute the swan song of summer & say a delicious goodbye to that wonderful season. If not grudgingly. Also a good reason to hide in your house & hope Hurricane Irene steers clear of your home. Not that I speak from experience or anything…

And send one they did! They sent the cutest little collar for Arwyn, and it came a few days ago.

It came all wrapped up so nice, and with a magnet too!

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Super adorable little cupcakes…

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So I opened up the package, and put the magnet on my fridge, and put the collar on. It looks so cute. Of course, here are some requisite photos. Arwyn is a wonderful model, isn’t she? And so gorgeous!

This last one doesn’t show the collar, but it’s just here to emphasize her beauty

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This particular collar style comes in a few other different patterns/colors as well. So a big big BIG thank you to Dog Collar Boutique! If you have pets, you should take a peek at their website. They have tons, and I mean tons, of beautiful collars, and they come in a large variety of sizes. If you have a small dog or a cat, the extra small or small sizes would be perfect, depending on their weight and size. They also have leashes, harnesses, carriers, doggie coats, and more! They also have cat collars and a gorgeous line of sterling silver dog tags.

Of course, my favorites are the ones with cupcakes…

Oh, macaroni & cheese. How I love thee. I have made so many variations of macaroni & cheese, it’s kind of crazy. Well no, not kind of, it really is. I’ve made buffalo chicken macaroni & cheese, garlic & herb macaroni & cheese, macaroni & cheese with cayenne, three cheese mac-n-cheese, mac-n-cheese with broccoli, plus a version of Ina Garten’s macaroni & cheese. But it’s one of my favorite foods, so I can’t really help it. And of course, it’s perfect comfort food for chilly weather- or downright cold weather. And despite making so many different kinds and variations, I have never made a Paula Deen recipe. INSANITY! So in my search for another recipe I happened upon this. If you didn’t know, Paula’s restaurant is called Lady & Sons, so of course her macaroni & cheese is called “The Lady’s Mac-n-Cheese.” The Lady does some things differently than I, so I tweaked it a bit. The original recipe can be found here.

Om nom nom nom…

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Before I get to that, though, I want to talk about a new product I tried recently. You may have seen the commercials for it on television: Kraft Homestyle Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese. The premise of this is that it’s oven-baked, or rather, it can be… and it’s topped with bread crumbs. I was intrigued, and being a mac-n-cheese addict decided to try it. I bought the “Four-Cheese” variety; made with “Parmesan, Colby, Asagio and Cheddar.” I paid about $3.29 for one 12.6 ounce package. I planned on feeding three people with it, and it said it held 4 servings, so I went with it. Well… no. It doesn’t quite feed three adults, so forget about it if you have kids. Maybe two people could eat one package and be satisfied. The taste? Not bad. I’ve had way worse (namely, the original Kraft macaroni & cheese in the rectangular box with the orange powder) but really, I’ve also had way better. As a matter of fact, I’d rather eat straight up Velveeta shells & cheese instead of this; at least that way I know what I’m getting and don’t expect anything crazy. They went with a cream sauce plus powder seasoning mixture for this new “homestyle” venture, I guess that’s better than all powdered, although I must say Target has an Archer Farms macaroni & cheese that’s really way more delicious than this, and its made with just a powder. It’s a five-cheese kind and it too has a breadcrumb topping, only it’s seasoned. I’d much rather make that. I didn’t get a “four-cheese” taste from the Kraft, whereas with the Archer Farms one you could really taste all the different cheeses (I used to mix a pound of cavatappi with the pasta that comes with it to make more, and add some white cheddar to the sauce mix, way before I started to make homemade). They do have it in a lunch-bowl size as well.

My suggestion? Make homemade. It’s always better for you, even just based on the lack of preservatives, etc. Plus, you can personalize it from start to finish and make the right amount that you need. The Kraft wasn’t terrible, but I probably wouldn’t buy it again- I much prefer homemade. But if you’re really short on time, it’s okay in a pinch, or good to have in the house as a “just in case” option for dinner. Just buy two if you’ve got a family bigger than 2 (or teenagers in the house) and make sure you doctor it up by adding your own cheese. And if you really want a tasty powdered-in-a-box macaroni & cheese dinner, buy this one. Add a lb. of cavatappi to the pasta they give you, add a little white cheddar to the sauce mix, and you’ll make plenty, plus leftovers. But I really think homemade is the best way to go.

And on that note… here’s some really delicious macaroni & cheese for you… homemade, no powder.

THE LADY’S MAC-N-CHEESE (modified slightly by yours truly)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cooked pasta, cooked al dente and drained (I used pipette, but elbows are okay, so is pretty much any kind you like)
• 3 cups grated Cheddar, plus 1 cup for topping
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Mix thoroughly until all pasta is covered. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish, top with 1 cup cheddar and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

I prefer to use sharp cheddar, but a mix of mild and sharp would work too. So this version was a bit unorthodox (for me); I’ve never made a macaroni & cheese with eggs before, but it really just melted in your mouth. It reminded me of the homemade macaroni & cheese my mom used to make when I was a kid, with the cheese bubbly & browned on top. A lot of people have had problems with the egg, they say it scrambles and that the mixture isn’t creamy. I had no problems, and I added the egg mixture directly to hot pasta right out of the pot, but I also added heavy cream to mine, so maybe that made it a bit creamier? I didn’t find it to be overly “eggy” but again, I tweaked the recipe. The recipe isn’t the creamiest, really, but it’s different. I like different. Although, even though it’s different… it is just straight up mac-n-cheese. There aren’t any other flavors going on, nothing fancy. But god, is it good.

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What I did was I mixed the beaten eggs with the sour cream, milk and heavy cream. I cut the butter into very small pieces, then mixed that in as well. I let it sit while the pasta cooked (8 minutes according to my pasta box/brand), and then as soon as I drained the pasta I mixed it together with the cheese. Then I mixed in the egg mixture and made sure it was thoroughly combined, so all the pasta was covered. I don’t know if how I did it made a difference, or if it was just my tweaking, but I found it to be delicious, and so did anyone else who ate it.

And the best thing about it is not only is it amazing the first time around.. but even better fried. Mainly because it’s a great idea for using up the leftover macaroni & cheese, but also because fried mac-n-cheese is one of the best things on earth. In September I went to Chip Shop in Brooklyn with Jay & some friends of ours. You may know them from the Food Network & Travel Channel specials they’ve been featured on. Anyway we went there and we indulged in some lovely fish & chips, but more importantly some fried Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, fried Twix bars, fried pizza and fried cheesecake. We didn’t get to try the fried macaroni & cheese (or fried Twinkies) but really, it was an amazing experience. Believe it or not, we didn’t even feel gross after eating that much fried food… the batter isn’t disgustingly heavy or greasy. So if anyone out there is near Brooklyn, I highly suggest Chip Shop. They’re gods.  But if you can’t get there… try some of this…

THE LADY’S FRIED MAC-N-CHEESE

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe “The Lady’s Mac-n-Cheese” prepared, chilled in the refrigerator overnight, and cut into 15 squares, recipe follows
• 1 pound bacon (optional)
• All-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Plain bread crumbs
• Peanut oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Heat peanut oil to 350 degrees F.
2. Wrap each square of cheesy mac with 1 strip of bacon, and fasten with toothpick. Dredge each square in flour then egg and then bread crumbs to coat. Fry for about 3 minutes until golden brown.

Yeah. Holy shit. That’s all I can say.

There are TONS of macaroni & cheese recipes out there. So don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last one you see here. I want to try them all! This is an excellent Thanksgiving mac-n-cheese recipe- I’m definitely making it again on Thursday myself. It comes together easy, no roux, no flour, and yet it’s so delicious. Real stick-to-your-ribs food.

And if you’ve got a problem with the calorie count of this… I’ll quote my girl Paula: “I’m your cook, not your doctor.”

All gone *sad face*

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My great-great-great grandfather, Albert Hebrank, fought in the Civil War. In 1861, he was an immigrant, right off the boat from Owingen, Hohenzollern, Prussia (Germany), and he joined the 54th Volunteer Infantry Regiment of New York, a.k.a. the Barney Black Rifles or ‘Schwarze Yaeger’- a unit comprised predominantly of German-speaking immigrants that fought in the some of the most famous and bloody battles of the war: Bull Run, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Manassas, and Cross Keys. My first cousin 4-times removed, Ferdinand Hebrank (Albert’s nephew), fought in the 71st New York Infantry in the Spanish-American War at the Battle of San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders. My great-uncles, Jack Sonnanburg, Eugene Rooney, Thomas Rooney, Frank Rooney and Sam Prybuski all fought in WWII, stationed in various places all over the world, as well as my other great-uncle, Pasquale Civitillo, who was in the Navy, stationed near Cuba during the Cold War. Those are just a few of my family members who have served the United States Military, not to mention all the members who served in the military in other countries (like the Dylnicki’s who fought on the side of Poland in WWI). I have friends in the Military right now, who have served in Iraq & Afghanistan. I don’t agree with the war, but I will always & forever support our military.

So let’s all of us not forget our veterans today, whether we watch the parade or don’t, and let’s remember that no political party has the market on patriotism.

Patriotic liners & decorating kit from CupcakeCrafts4U!

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A few months back, I received an awesome packet from Kim at Cupcake Crafts 4 U. It was a patriotic set that included: four kinds of liners, red sugar, red & white large sugar, blue & white large sugar, silver dragees, red/white/blue M&M’s, red lip-shaped sprinkles, white gel frosting, blue frosting with 2 kinds of tips and a recipe! I knew I wanted to save it for Veteran’s Day, so here it is.

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I didn’t use the recipe that came with the kit, because I wanted a white chocolate cupcake (but the recipe looks awesome- red, white & blue cupcakes using red & blue Kool-Aid). I also decided to save the blue frosting and the gel as well as some sugars and the dragees for future cupcakes. I knew two kinds of sprinkles plus M&M’s would be perfect for the cupcakes I was making (I only made 10 cupcakes, I halved the recipe below). If I was making more, I’d have used everything and made each cupcake look different. Cupcake Crafts sells AMAZING cupcake-decorating kits, perfect for kid’s parties, those of you not artistically-inclined or even those of you who are, but want to get a full kit with everything you’d need. All you have to do is make the cupcake! I mean, look at how cute the Thanksgiving one is: make a cupcake into a turkey!

WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES (adapted from Baking Bites)

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped white chocolate by heating it in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Stir well with a fork between each interval and cook only until the chocolate is smooth when stirred.
4. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding in some of the milk and some of the flour mixture, ending with a final addition of flour. Mix until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 325F for 20-23 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Cool completely before frosting.

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don’t worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
4. Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.

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All in all, I really liked the kit. I’d totally recommend it. It makes decorating so much easier, because it puts everything together in one place. And some of the kits include really elaborate stuff that looks so impressive, yet it’s made easy for you. Like I said, these would be perfect for kid’s birthdays. Or even to buy a few kits and bake the cupcakes, then have the kids decorate them. Kim puts a lot of time and effort into this business, and you can definitely tell. Take a look at the kits they sell and buy one. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

And Happy Veteran’s Day.

Ammonium carbonate was historically obtained by the dry distillation of nitrogenous organic matter such as hair, horn, decomposed urine, etc.^{[citation needed]}

Currently, it is produced by heating a mixture of ammonium chloride, or ammonium sulfate and chalk, to redness in iron retorts, the vapors being condensed in leaden receivers.^{[citation needed]} The crude product is refined by sublimation, when it is obtained as a white fibrous mass, which consists of a mixture of ammonium bicarbonate, NH₄HCO₃, and ammonium carbonate, (NH₄)₂CO₃, in molecular proportions; on account of its possessing this constitution it is sometimes called ammonium polycarbonate. It possesses a strong ammonium smell, and on digestion with alcohol the carbonate is dissolved and a residue of ammonium bicarbonate is left; a similar decomposition taking place when the polycarbonate is exposed to air.

Ammonia gas passed into a strong aqueous solution of the polycarbonate converts it into normal ammonium carbonate, (NH₄)₂CO₃, which can be obtained in the crystalline condition from a solution prepared at about 30 °C. This compound on exposure to air gives off ammonia and passes back to ammonium bicarbonate. It has pH of 9.

As well as in smelling salts, ammonium carbonate is still used as a leavening agent in particular recipes, particularly northern European and Scandinavian. It can sometimes be substituted with baking powder, but the finished product will never be as airy and light as the original recipe. Icelandic loftkökur (air biscuits) for instance simply cannot be made with anything other than ammonium carbonate.

Oh yum. Decomposed urine. So yes, the traditional cookies are made with this substance, and from what I’ve read, it’s used primarily in cookies because they’re small enough that, and I quote, “the smell can dissipate during baking.” Lovely. In fact, they’re sometimes called “Swedish Ammonia Cookies.” Perhaps it’s me being a non-Swede, perhaps it’s my uptight American palate, perhaps whatever… but I just don’t think I’ll be using ammonia in my baking anytime soon. Ammonia is one of the smells I absolutely cannot tolerate. It makes me feel as if my brains are being burned out through my nose. Sorry, Sweden. Don’t take it as an insult, I’m not judging. I love Sweden & Scandinavian folklore; the Huldra, Fossegrimen, Kraken, etc. I also love the St. Lucia’s Day celebration and ever since I was a kid & first heard about it because one of my American Girl dolls (Kirsten, the Swedish pioneer who’s apparently long ago been discontinued, I had the first 4 dolls back when I was a kid & AG was interesting, about girls throughout history, and actually taught kids something, not just a shitty Mattel buy-out like it is now), I was in love. I’m  not a fan of Swedish meatballs, though, I have to say.

As far as other ingredients of these “ammonia” cookies go, there are conflicting opinions: some say coconut isn’t traditional, some say the almond flavoring isn’t traditional. I say tradition be damned- I like the sound of a coconut/almond confection (sans ammonia). So I adapted Ina Garten’s coconut cupcake recipe (one of my favorites!) and an almond flavored frosting into what I call Drömmar cupcakes. I was inspired to do this by a trip to Ikea where I bought adorable red, black & white cupcake liners called Drömmar baking cups, and when I Googled “Drömmar” it opened up the world of the ammonia cookie to me. Amazing. You learn something new everyday.

…

I scaled the Ina recipe down because it’s excessive to make 30-40 cupcakes for an average Tuesday. Half the recipe makes more sense. The whole recipe makes like 35 cakes. I’m not kidding. So this is ½ of Ina’s original recipe. Due to the larger scale of these liners (they’re a bit taller and not as wide as regular ones) I used a bit more batter in each so I got exactly 18. If you’re using regular liners you might end up with a few more. In the past, I’ve halved the recipe and ended up with as many as almost 2 dozen. Who the hell knows what I did. Whatever. Either way, these are some really good cupcakes. If you like coconut, I suggest you try them. If you really don’t, then you could always omit the coconut and you’d still be left with a mighty delicious cupcakes.

DRÖMMAR CUPCAKES

Ingredients for proper drömmar-ing:

• ½ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 4 ounces (½ cup) shredded sweetened coconut

The process to get drömmar-ed:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 2 ounces of coconut.
4. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

ALMOND FROSTING

Ingredients to get frosted:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 4 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¾ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoons almond extract
• 6-7 tablespoons milk

Directions to get frosted:

1. Cream butter in mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in confectioner’s sugar 1-2 cups at a time with mixer. Add the extracts.
2. Add milk 3 tablespoons at a time until the desired “frosting” consistency is achieved.
3. Frost cakes when they’re completely cooled.. and enjoy!

I put dark chocolate cocoa covered almonds on top after frosting, but really, do whatever you choose. I just thought it was appropriate, but what do I know.

Pre-frosting. See how pretty the liners are?

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As far as the liners go, I was really pleased with the quality. You get 65 liners for .99 cents and they weren’t crappy quality at ALL. The color stayed really nice even after baking, and although they didn’t keep quite as lovely as the Sutton papers, for .99 cents you can’t beat ‘em. No complaints here. I’ll definitely be buying more of these to have around. As you can see, the cupcakes didn’t reach the top. They’re tall liners! They’d be great for muffins.

This is one of the last cupcake recipes before the Halloween ones start. Isn’t that exciting? I love Halloween. Oh hey- speaking of tricks & treats, there are just a little over two days left to enter my giveaway (on the East coast anyway)! So make sure you get your asses over there and enter… NOW! There are 8 amazing prizes at stake, and it’s really easy to enter.

Sutton Gourmet Paper liners pride themselves on the fact that their liners are greaseproof and will stay just as colorful and crisp looking after baking as they do beforehand. I admit, I was skeptical. Of course, I’m always willing to try something new and give my honest opinion. And I found that what they say is true. I made a chocolate cupcake, my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe actually, and I’ll be damned- the liners did stay, for the most part, pretty clear, even after baking. Much better than regular liners. I have never had that experience with a chocolate cupcake + paper liner combination. Ever. As a matter of fact, I haven’t had that experience with many vanilla or white cupcake recipes + paper liners! The zebra ones, red damask, and red & white checked ones did get a bit darker than the rest, but all in all they were much better than I expected them to be. The red/turquoise and the brown/turquoise ones just stayed so bright and beautiful, so did the brown/white damask, which made me happy, because they looked so pretty next to my new vintage cake carrier. These liners would be outstanding for a vanilla cupcake as well, the color would be so amazingly bright. The green and pink checked ones also stayed lovely.

Look how gorgeous that turquoise one is!

..

As far as the recipe goes, like I said, it’s my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe from Billy’s Bakery in NYC. I cut the recipe in half because I didn’t need 27+ cupcakes. But just so you know, this full recipe does indeed make that much, so it’s perfect for a party. This recipe isn’t a particularly greasy or oily recipe, neither is it the darkest chocolate, but it’s dark enough to know whether or not the liners do what they say they do. And they do! That’s a lot of ‘do’s.’ I frosted them with a vanilla/orange buttercream. Another excellent chocolate cupcake recipe that has a bit more of a punch to it (thanks to coffee) is this one, also frosted with a vanilla/orange buttercream. I have other chocolate cupcake recipes, including a S’mores recipe, if you’d like to see them. Just search or nose around in the archives over there to the right. But now, I give you Billy’s chocolate cupcakes.

I wonder if Lou Ann Stallings will steal these pictures too. They’ll probably be on Craigslist tomorrow! Haha. Speaking of that, let me reiterate once more (despite it being written on almost every fucking page here) that these photos are my property. If you steal them, that’s theft. Plain & simple.

BILLY’S BAKERY CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (8 ounces)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (7 ounces)
• 1 cup light brown sugar (7-¾ ounces)
• 4 large eggs (one at a time)
• 6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
• 2 cups cake flour (9-¼ ounces)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cream butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Add 4 large eggs (one at a time) and beat each until thoroughly combined, then add chocolate (chocolate should be melted, then cooled for approximately 15 minutes before being added)*. Add and alternate cake flour plus baking soda with buttermilk (room temperature) plus vanilla extract.
3. Place cupcake paper into each cup of 2 muffin pans (each pan yielding 12 muffins). Then fill each cup with 1 leveled off scoop of an ice cream scooper.
4. Bake at 350 degrees in regular oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

*If you only have unsweetened cocoa powder, not baking chocolate, and still want to make these cupcakes, you can. For every ounce of baking chocolate required, simply use 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon oil or shortening. Ta-da! If my calculations are correct, which I’m sure they are, that roughly means 6 tablespoons shortening or oil plus ¾ cups of cocoa powder for this full recipe. You do not have to melt it together separately. Just add it when it says to add the unsweetened chocolate. Or, alternately, you can just add unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. That’s what I did.

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All in all I was extremely satisfied! I would definitely buy from Sutton, absolutely. I was super pleased with the end results. There’s really nothing I hate more than greasy liners. Well, there are things I hate more, actually. But greasy liners are up there on the list.

And on that note, here is a picture of me being very awesome lame with my new(er) short(er) hair that I mentioned previously. And please don’t tell me I look like Pink. Not that there’s anything wrong with Pink, I’ve just been hearing that for 10 years now, and I absolutely do not see it at all. By the time you see this, my hair might be a is a totally different color. Oh- and my hair is slick with product in this picture, so don’t think I just have a greasy head. Haha.

So imagine my surprise when one night last week, Leyna herself actually drove to my house and hand-delivered this box of these delicious little baby cakes to me. Not only that, but she had literally JUST LANDED in NY and came straight to me first. Yeah, I know, that’s awesome. Know what else is awesome? These:

Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet her in person (like I said, I’ve been very sick- no voice and slight fever in addition to a terrible cough, couldn’t inflict that on the poor girl!), but it was super nice of her to bring these by. I found myself with 4 Strawberrilicious baby cakes in my possession. Strawberrilicious is strawberry-vanilla cake with a hint of white chocolate, filled with a strawberry surprise in the center, topped with white chocolate-strawberry chantilly cream. I will have you know, this particular flavor won the title of “L.A.’s Best Overall Cupcake” at the first annual L.A. Cupcake Challenge in 2008 (you can read more about that here and here). It was also voted Public’s Choice for “Most Original.” And let me tell you this: I don’t normally like strawberry, but these were excellent. You’d never know they didn’t have any butter or oil in them, seriously. The frosting was so fresh too- and these came all the way cross-country! Imagine how fresh they’d be for you Cali folk.  The cake itself is really light and fluffy, not heavy or sticky and it doesn’t “cling” in your throat and make you run to get a drink to wash it down.

All Leyna’s cakes are made fresh, with natural ingredients, fresh fruit and fresh cream, and you can tell.

With celebrity clients like Pete Wentz & Ashlee Simpson, Ashley Tisdale & Brangelina’s kids you’d think they’d be pretty damn good. But I honestly wasn’t expecting them to be as good as they were. I mean, come on, these celebrities starve themselves to look good on red carpets. Can we really trust them to know a good cupcake when they taste it? No. That’s why you have me. I’m way more trustworthy than a Simpson sister. And smarter too, I imagine. Although it makes sense they’re all fans: these cupcakes, because of the lack of those heavy fatty ingredients, are figure-friendly. Way more so than regular cupcakes.

A beautifully made little cake, isn’t it?

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Those of you who know me know I’m pretty opinionated. I’m not going to give a good review of something unless it really is good. I’m not an ass-kisser and I’m not afraid to be honest. So believe me when I say I’d totally love to try more of Leyna’s cupcakes- that’s how good they are. I find myself wishing I lived in L.A. (not for the first time, considering I have so many friends out there in California, hi Yoyo, Rain & Anna! *waves*) so I could try the Mint Dreams, White Chocolate Wonderland and Peanut Butter & Chocolate cupcakes.

Here are some more photos (not taken by me) of some of Leyna’s cakes.

So if you’re in the L.A./Orange County area, I highly suggest you try these. They’re a guilt-free way of enjoying cupcakes since there’s no butter, shortening or oil in them. Plus they just taste amazing. Ah-mah-zing, as Rachel Zoe would say. Thanks Leyna, for letting me try these delicious little cakes, and if you ever need a taste-tester… uh, *cough* just let me know.

Leyna’s Kitchen

P.O. Box 17946, Beverly Hills CA 90209

(714) 51- C A K E S

Shop@LeynasKitchen.com

]]> http://cupcakerehab.com/2009/11/leynas-kitchen-rocks/feed/ 4 http://cupcakerehab.com/2009/11/something-new-something-bleu/ http://cupcakerehab.com/2009/11/something-new-something-bleu/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:24:35 +0000 Marilla @ Cupcake Rehab http://cupcakerehab.com/?p=2603 This is a new venture for me here on Cupcake Rehab. I’m usually not much of a “reviewer. ” Not when it comes to this kinda stuff anyway. I’ve been to tons of restaurants and bakeries but I always feel as though it isn’t up to me to review them. As if anyone cares what I think. I always saw reviews like that as kind of pretentious, you know? But Jay  & my mother have  both brought up the idea to me a few times before, and I’ve got to say… it started to grow on me. I just couldn’t think of a place to review, or make the time to seek out a place. So this is my first review ever, and it may very well be my last. Who knows? I’m not planning anything, I don’t plan. So we’ll see.

Right before Halloween last month, I went on a last-minute 3-day vacation to Mystic, Connecticut. Jay had basically  totally spontaneously planned the trip on a Saturday afternoon and told me about it later that evening, saying we were leaving the next morning at 10 a.m. So we went, and while we were there we happened upon a quaint little bake shop called Bleu Squid (they’re just starting to build up the site, so don’t bother looking at anything but the menu). They call themselves a “bakery, cheese shop & grilled cheese cafe.” That’s all Jay had to read. They had him at “hello.”

So we went in and it was super cute inside. The woman behind the counter was very nice, and hospitable, and they make everything on premises. They have a wide variety of cheeses too- some local and artisanal cheeses as well. It was clean and well-kept, with one bistro set and a few chairs against the windows with a little shelf to eat on.

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They sell bottled water and canned soda, and also sold some t-shirts (I totally got one!), candles and other little trinkets aside from the edible items (such as crackers, bread and muffin mixes, jellies and jams, apple butters, etc- the usual Mystic gift shop stuff). Jay decided to get something to eat, and I wasn’t very hungry but I noticed the cupcake selection and of course decided to have myself a little cake while he ate more appropriate lunch fare.

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Jay chose the “Grown-Up” grilled cheese: a blend of sharp cheddar, Havarti, Fontina and Muenster cheese on sourdough bread (it also comes on white or whole wheat). He raved about it from start to finish, and I could just barely get a picture of it! He said it was amazing, and that the sourdough bread was perfect with it.

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I picked the White Chocolate cupcake: vanilla cake with white chocolate buttercream and white chocolate chips on top. It was so good. The cake was moist and perfectly done, and the frosting was just the right texture, not too stiff and not too “wilty.” The cake itself wasn’t too sweet, it was a really nice vanilla flavor. It was a huge cupcake, too- it was the same size as a can of Coke. I wish I’d taken a photo of the two next to each other to compare! The frosting-to-cake ratio for me was perfect as well. I actually wanted to go back the next day and get another cupcake, but we ended up going to a Cider Mill to get cider donuts, and then to Mystic Pizza for lunch. So that didn’t happen. Which makes me sad, but there were more than a half dozen cider donuts that came home with me to help remedy the sadness.

I noticed there were regular cupcake flavors, and “adult” flavors, but sadly I didn’t remember (or write down) the entire list. I do remember there was vanilla and chocolate, as well as mint chocolate (chocolate cake with mint frosting and chocolate chips) and a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. And my delicious little white chocolate cake up there. *le sigh* They also have mac-n-cheese, and a variety of other grilled cheese specialties. It’s a sweet little lunch spot, and I could see it was pretty popular, not just with the tourists/shoppers either; a lot of employees from the other stores were coming in as well.

I highly suggest that if you take a trip to the Mystic area, you visit Olde Mistick Village and stop in at the Bleu Squid. At the very least for a cupcake!

Bleu Squid
27 Coogan Boulevard
Olde Mistick Village, Building 12d
Mystic, CT 06355

Phone: 860.536.6343

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Saturday 10-6, Sunday 11-5

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