A few weeks ago, Liberty, Premal, Tom and I headed to Glenwood Springs for their annual Hot Air Balloon Festival. It was a long drive (nearly four hours), but driving through an unusually lush Colorado was actually a real treat. Whenever I come home I can't help but be in awe of just how beautiful this state is. Because call time for the hot air balloons was at 6am, we drove up the night before and camped out at a pretty little campsite a few miles from where the balloons were supposed to launch. Despite Premal and Tom's best efforts (Liberty and I stayed in the car and ate cookie butter while they constructed the tent), we were not comfortable. But apart from a less than perfect night's sleep, we had a blast. I felt like a kid in a candy store. Everything was so vibrant and everyone was so knowledgeable and solicitous about answering our questions (can you believe the two matching balloons were homemade by one of the pilots?!!!). Needless to say, we are definitely coming back - and may even visit New Mexico's festival this fall!
Viewing entries by
Mercina
"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Flowers are some of my favorite things.
They make me really happy -- maybe because I like nature and the feeling of being near green things, maybe because I don't think of myself as being particularly creative unless I'm arranging flowers, or maybe 'cause I just think they're pretty. Anyway, I like 'em (doesn't really matter why). And for our fondue party, I was charged with putting together floral stuffs . But when I went to procure stems from our local grocery store, I was unimpressed. I love super market blossoms, but on this particular day the pickings at Safeway were pretty slim. I called Liberty (who was at Trader Joe's) to see if she could fill in the gaps, but the options there weren't much better. SO we decided to expand our search from the floral department to the produce section.
Some of my favorite unconventional additions in these arrangements include:
Asparagus
Dried figs (golden and purple)
Kumquats
Radishes
Rainbow Chard
Dinosaur Kale
and
Garlic
The first time I mixed garlic into a bouquet was at Charity's wedding. She had ordered a few hundred sunflowers to decorate, but not much else. And because it was late October and we were in the middle of nowhere New York, and it was raining, we got creative. While looking through shopping bags, I found some lovely heads of garlic, purchased by my mom at a local farmer's market. They were about all we had, so I shoved them into the arrangement. The resulting product was actually quite lovely (ignore the scowling child) and got me hooked on adding unorthodox foodstuffs to bouquets.
A few years ago I put together a simple guide for arranging flowers (you can see it here). It's basic, but it works for me. For anyone looking to get a little more adventurous, I'll add these suggestions:
-When adding things without stems to bouquets (think kumquats, figs, radishes or garlic), try sticking them on wooden skewers
-If you're making more than one arrangement, buy or pick more "fillers" (green things, berries, branches) than you think you'll need. It's almost always a good idea
-Floral tape is your friend! Use lots.
-Take your time! Be creative! It sounds corny, but make sure you have enough time to put together an arrangement you love. I usually find time makes a big difference.
OK. I think that's it. But if you arrange something, make sure to take a picture, instagram it and tag us (@5isterstd)! WE WANT TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS!
In celebration of my impending departure (I leave on a mission for our church in 2 days!), and Charity's birthday, last week we made a pilgrimage to a place we've always dreamed of visiting. Inspired by L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, Kimber, Charity, Liberty, Glorianna and I journeyed to Prince Edward Island with Kimi's babies, my mom, and our beloved god-mother. Charity planned the entire adventure, and it was one of the most magical experiences of my life - which is very is fitting because Charity makes everything just a little more extraordinary. Today, on Charity's birthday, I cherish the opportunity to take a moment to reflect on her truly incredible life and the many delightsome times we've shared. I adore my family. They are the most remarkable group of people I've ever had the privilege of associating with. But even among this group of tremendously determined and accomplished siblings, I think we all agree that Charity was given an extra measure of a number of truly wonderful qualities. Equal parts optimism, radiance, passion, tenacity and undiluted grit have made her into one of the most inspiring and indomitable people I've ever met. Charity Sunshine, thank you for brightening all of our lives. You never cease to amaze me. I'm going to miss you terribly, but I'm so happy we get to share and celebrate this birthday before I leave. Thank you for planning such a beautiful goodbye-birthday adventure. I can't wait for our shenanigans to resume when I get back!
P.S.
Here are too many pictures from PEI. But we actually have LOADS more which we'll share soon :-)
As I prepare to serve a mission for my church (I leave in 27 days!), I've been spending lots of time with some of my very favorite people in my very favorite place. No matter how many places I live or visit, Colorado will always be the tops! It's wonderful in the winter, but it's just as charming in the summer. Copious quantities of wildflowers, outdoor festivals, good food, good dogs, and loads of good places to hike make it really hard to want to be anywhere else. A few weeks ago, Tom's brother and sister-in-law were in town so we all took a day trip to Boulder. We started with lunch here (so beautiful and so delicious!), and then roamed Pearl Street for a while. We had a little time to kill, so I suggested we drive over to the Chautauqua. I hadn't been for a looong time, but I remembered liking it. It was gorgeous - much more spectacular than I had remembered. The perfect place for an afternoon jaunt. Really just dreamy.
Oh, Colorado! Every time I come home, I fall in love all over again.
^^^^^Wild Irises^^^^^
^^^^Sadly we didn't see anything bigger than a rabbit^^^^^
^^^^Bluebells & Dandelions^^^^
Preparation-time: 10 minutes Bake-time: 20 minutes Servings: 6
If you have any desire to concoct these extraordinary dainties, know first that they are exquisitely scrumptious and hence, dangerous. These delights are DANGEROUS to any calorically conscious diet, so calorie counters: Beware! Also, you should be conscious that there are certain ingredients which you will definitely need to have on hand (or resting in your cupboards, or in your refrigerator or freezer) in order to produce
The Most Supremely Delightful and Delectable Banana Sundae Puffs You Will Ever Consume
. I would deeply appreciate if you would be absolutely certain that you are in possession of all of the following ingredients before endeavoring to make this dessert. THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS ARE POSITIVELY ESSENTIAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS SWEET TREAT. If you do not have every single one of the following items, you will not be able to produce the intended result. I would advise you to organize and prepare your pantry accordingly.
_______________________________________________________________________________
These are the items which you will be required to have at your disposal if you are going to bring
The Most Supremely Delightful and Delectable Banana Sundae Puffs
into being –
- One - and only one - lengthy flat portion (or sheet) of frigid, frozen, flaky puffy pastry. You could possibly make this pastry yourself (there is a recipe for flaky pastry on page 214 of this volume), however making flaky puffy pastry is usually quite laborious and time-consuming. If you are not feeling that you have the energy or time to make your own flaky pastry, it is also acceptable to purchase the pastry in your local supermarket (some stores call it “puff pastry”). Thaw your lengthy portion of puffy pastry for approximately one hour. Then – utilizing a small knife or another flat, sharp object (I believe a pizza cutter would do the job satisfactorily) - divide the thawed pastry into little round pieces which measure somewhere around 3 ½ ± ¼ - inches. Now, do not worry if the pieces do not end up measuring exactly 3 ½ inches because it is not vital for these round pieces to be precisely 3 ½ inches. The Banana Sundae Puffs will still be delicious, even if these pieces of pastry are not precisely 3 ½ inches.
- In addition to the pastry, please make sure you have at least ¼ cup of lightly colored (as opposed to the darkly-hued) corn syrup in your pantry. This “light” corn syrup will act as a sweetener for the Puffs. However be aware that this pale corn syrup plays a very different role in the overall chemistry of the confection than would granulated sugar; this is a topic I will address in greater depth in a moment.
- It is also required that you have ½ cup of heavy whipping cream. Some people have acquired the habit of substituting half and half—or even regular whipping cream— for this vital ingredient. These alternatives are not explicitly “heavy” whipping cream. When a recipe calls for “heavy whipping cream”, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE. Your Most Supremely Delightful and Delectable Banana Sundae Puffs will not turn out correctly if you choose to substitute the heavy whipping cream, which is called for, with one of these inappropriate alternatives. This is because of the fact that only heavy whipping cream will achieve the desired density and loft when you are attempting to create Banana Sundae Puffs.
- Unsalted butter – ¼ cup, at a minimum. I would appreciate if you would not assume I am referring to butter or margarine. This recipe calls for bona fide butter – the kind that comes from the milk of cows. I would appreciate it if you would not try to substitute margarine, which is made from vegetable or canola oil rather than the milk of cows. Also, please refrain from the use of “Crisco” or any other bastardization of butter. Let me emphasize this a second time: non-butter products will not work in this dish. *On another topical note: Although this recipe calls for only ¼ cup of butter, it would probably be prudent for you to stock up on the ingredient. I would purchase at least one “stick” of authentic butter, which is actually ½ cup of butter (twice the amount that this recipe calls for). Butter plays an integral role in many recipes and – unless you have a serious dietary restriction which would make it impossible to digest or eat butter – true butter is always a useful ingredient to have on hand.
- The second type of sweetener you will use in this recipe is plain, white sugar. This recipe calls for 2/3 cup pure, white sugar. There are many types of sugar which can be purchased in a grocery store nowadays (brown sugar [dark and light], colored sugar, white sugar crystals, white sugar cubes, pearl white sugar, Muscovado or Barbados sugar, Demerara sugar, raw sugar, superfine sugar, confectioners’ sugar, date sugar, fruit sugar, coarse sugar, sanding sugar, castor sugar, spicy world rock candy sugar, etc.), but when you are attempting to create The Most Supremely Delightful and Delectable Banana Sundae Puffs You Will Ever Consume, it is most likely a poor time to experiment with new-fangled or exotic sugars.
- You will also need to procure a minimum of 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Cocoa powder is something which you may or may not have very strong feelings about. Some people have an inclination towards less intense forms of cocoa powder, while other people embrace anything and everything with dark chocolate undertones. To each his own, as far as cocoa goes – so you have my blessing to choose your cocoa powder depending on whether you like very dark chocolate, lighter chocolate, or Dutch processed cocoa. Regardless of which type of cocoa powder you choose to utilize, understand that cocoa powder has an unparalleled ability to impart a full, rich chocolate flavor to any and every dish it is incorporated into.
- One of the final ingredients this recipe will require is a small dash of coarse salt. This may seem counterintuitive: Banana Sundae Puffs are, in fact, a sweet dessert, and salt is customarily used in savory dishes like baked potatoes or soup. However this small dash of salt will be a vitally important counterpoint to all of the sweet ingredients you have already added – and will continue to add. That being said, I would appreciate it if you would make sure that you do not add too much salt. Adding too much salt will throw off the chemistry of the entire dish.
- Perhaps the very most important of all of the ingredients used in this dessert are the 4 firm-ripe bananas. They are really what make these Banana Sundae Puffs into Banana Sundae Puffs. The bananas selected for this dessert should be sliced into thin pieces – no more than a ½ inch thick. You should slice the bananas with a knife or similarly sharp object – something along the same line. The bananas which you ultimately decide to utilize in your Banana Sundae Puffs should not be overly ripe, meaning their peel should not be completely black. The peel of the bananas which you use to make this dessert should definitely have some black speckles punctuating their otherwise yellow peels, but they should not be ripe to the extent which would leave the actual fruit of the bananas (as opposed to the peel of the bananas) brownish grey and bruised.
- I have almost finished listing the selection of necessary ingredients for Banana Sundae Puffs, but nonetheless there are still two more items which you will need to procure before beginning to mix together this sweet treat. Although I say you need to procure these last two items, it is perfectly acceptable if you just happen to have them on hand already and would like to use the ingredients you have, as opposed to purchasing new ones solely for this baking project. Contrariwise, although it is perfectly acceptable to use ingredients which you already have available please make sure they are fresh and not in any way compromised in taste or quality. All this is to say that this recipe for Banana Sundae Puffs calls for 1 pint of good vanilla ice cream. When I say “good” vanilla ice cream, I mean vanilla ice cream which is delicious – whether or not you choose to pair it with other satisfying foodstuffs. This is to say, do not purchase any type of “bulk”, or “economy” vanilla ice cream for use in this recipe. A rich ice cream made with pure cream, pure vanilla, and vanilla bean would be ideal.
- The final ingredient on this list is walnuts which have been roasted. You will need at a very minimum ¼ cup of walnuts. After measuring the walnuts, heat up a small pan on the stove. Chop the ¼ cup of walnuts and pour them into the hot pan which you prepared on the stove top. Allow the walnuts to roast until they turn a dark, golden color. Be careful because it is very easy for nuts to burn when all you are attempting to do is toast them. For this reason it would probably be prudent to have an extra supply of walnuts on hand, just in case. In order to prevent your walnuts from burning in the first place, do not turn the heat on you stove up too high. Furthermore keep your eyes on the pan at all times. Just remember this phrase: constant vigilance.
After organizing all of the essential ingredients—which I have listed above—the first thing you must do in order to make
Banana Sundae Puffs
is turn on your oven. Preheat your oven to the temperature of 375 degrees. However, prior to turning on the oven, MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO COOKIE SHEETS OR OTHER PANS RESTING IN THE OVEN. If you fail to check for pans resting in the oven you will needlessly heat them up and could potentially ruin any rubber handles sitting in the oven. Furthermore, it is possible that you might – without thinking – grab the hot pans out of the oven and burn your hands badly. Additionally, DO NOT FORGET TO USE OVEN MITTS WHEN EXTRACTING HOT ITEMS FROM THE OVEN. After extracting any resting pots or pans from the oven, find a baking sheet and set a properly sized piece of parchment paper on top of this baking sheet (e.g. if your baking sheet is 18 inches long, you will probably need at least 17 ½ inches of parchment to lay on top of it). After you have turned on the oven to precisely 375 degrees and prepared the baking sheet by laying the parchment paper on top of it, place the approximately 3 ½ inch rounds of puffy pastry on the sheet. These rounds should be placed a very minimum of 2 inches away from each other on the parchment-lined baking sheet because they grow during the baking process and you do not want them to touch at all. Bake these rounds of somewhat puffy pastry until they have turned a golden color and become very puffy indeed. This should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. If you are unsure about the baking progress of these rounds, turn on your oven light and peek inside. By doing this you will be able to see if the puffs are actually baking without letting any heat out of said oven. When 15 minutes have elapsed, you may physically open the doors of the oven to observe if the rounds have reached their desired color. Once the pastry medallions have reached a golden color and become decidedly puffy,
find some oven mitts
. Put on the oven mitts and remove the parchment lined baking sheet from the oven. Transfer each of the puffy—poufy even—pastry rounds to a wire, cooling rack and allow them to sit upon the rack, releasing their stored heat into the surrounding room until the temperature of the room and the pastry rounds are roughly equivalent.
At the same time, find a medium-sized sauce pan. This sauce pan should be able to house all of your remaining ingredients without question. Furthermore, find a whisk (you will find out why you need this soon). Into the sauce pan pour the light colored corn syrup,
heavy
whipping cream, real butter, pure white sugar, cocoa powder – of your desired richness, and an appropriately sized pinch of salt. Mix all of these ingredients with a whisk and wait until they begin to boil, whisking all the while over a medium-high temperature. After you have allowed this substance to boil for approximately 50 seconds (do not concern yourself if somehow the boiling drags on for an entire minute, however under no circumstances should you allow the fudgy mixture boil for any more time than sixty seconds), remove the now fudge-like sauce from the medium heat and allow it to cool a little bit. If you are not going to use the mixture in the immediate future, put the substance into an appropriately sized airtight container. (This fudge-like sauce will remain edible for approximately 2 months before it is colonized by a robust cadre of bacterium. In all candor, one might still consume this infested condiment, but the foul flavor and indigestion that would likely follow make such a choice inadvisable.)
In order to assemble a Banana Sundae Puff, find an appropriately sized plate. Remove a pastry round from cooling rack where it has been resting from the time you took it out of the oven. Carefully assemble an artful portion of banana slices atop the puffy, goldeny brown pastry. Complete the Banana Sundae Puff by scooping a rounded dollop of good vanilla ice cream on top of your banana pile. Drizzle the entire puffy mountain with your home-made fudgy sauce and sprinkle with you carefully toasted and chopped walnuts. Repeat this process until all of the puffy pastry rounds have been turned into Banana Sundae Puffs.
If you adhere to these instructions as meticulously as I have recorded them, I am convinced you will agree beyond a shadow of a doubt that these are the best, most supremely delectable and delicious Banana Sundae Puffs you have ever consumed.
—
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart, Everyday Food: March 2012 (reproduced, for your convenience, at the very bottom of this page).
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Banana Sundae Puffs -
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into six 3 1/2-inch rounds
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
Coarse salt
4 firm-ripe bananas, thinly sliced
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place puff pastry rounds, 2 inches apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden and puffed, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.Meanwhile, in a medium pot, combine corn syrup, cream, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and pinch of salt; bring to a boil, whisking, over medium-high. Remove fudge sauce from heat and let cool slightly. (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 2 months.) Top each pastry with bananas, ice cream, sauce, and walnuts.
Last week our wonderful neighbors brought over a carton of fresh eggs from their exuberant little herd of chickens. Momo wanted to make sure the eggs were used for something which would feature their unrivaled goodness.
This recipe is perfect for summer. Super satisfying, fresh and healthy. I think it did the trick :-)
You'll need:
- Russet Potatoes
- Onion(s)
- Butter (salted, of course)
- White wine
- Fresh Garlic
- Lettuce
- Eggs (one per person)
- Mustard
- Honey
- Balsamic
- EVOO
- Salt
- Cheese (either white cheddar or Gorgonzola)
- Fresh Pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes into long, thin wedges. Arrange them on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes (flip to other side after 20 minutes, or boil first for faster baking). Slice onions and place in hot pan. Cook in butter and sugar until golden brown. Reduce heat and cover in white wine. Cook until liquid is gone. Cut garlic into chips and cook on stove-top (in butter or EVOO) until light brown. Chop lettuce and set aside. You can either fry the eggs, poach them, or use my special method for fry-poaching (e.g. crack egg into hot pan, fry bottom, pour water in pan, cover with lid, and wait until top is cooked). For the dressing, mix equal parts balsamic and EVOO with at least one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of mustard. Add salt and fresh pepper to taste. Remove potatoes from the oven and let cool, at least a little. Chop or crumble cheese. Combine lettuce, onions, garlic, potatoes, and cheese in a bowl. Place an egg on top of each serving and drizzle dressing over the top.
Last month we expended herculean efforts while wrangling the troupes to take a family picture. With 23 bodies to organize - and at least as many schedules - finding a time and place to gather was darn near impossible (please see the gory 75-long gmail message thread for evidence). In the end, everyone was able to make it except for Dave (who was whisked away on a last minute assignment in NYC), and little Thomas (who was needed at the opening of his preschool art installation).
And in my humble opinion, the heartaches and headaches were totally worthwhile. We'll wait until Christmas to subject everyone to the finished product, but - until then - here are some of my favorite outtakes from the afternoon.
Huge props, hugs, and kisses to Tom who was coerced into taking the pictures after we were unable to secure a professional photographer for the golden 45 minute window of opportunity. (Apparently this studly rocket scientist is also capable of corralling 21 of the most opinionated people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing). Huzzah!
