Afternoon Cake

One of my writer colleagues in the Global Niche workshop I am taking, mentioned a blog called Sassy Radish the other day and I went and checked it out.  I found a recipe that was totally to my liking.

I decided to make it on the spot.

My 'afternoon cake' inspired by the Sassy Radish

It appealed to the time-starved/mom/domestic goddess in me. The link to this lovely recipe is here and I suggest not only that you make the cake but also that you stay a while on Olga's blog and check out the rest of her savvy. 

Pomegranates & Grapes


I took the Sassy Radish on her word when she said the recipe was easy. It was. I sighed relief when she said substitutions were allowed. I even believed her when she said no baking soda or powder, because as luck would have it I had neither. I also had no berries or nuts. I did have grapes and pomegranates and
I added coconut oil when I discovered I only had 3/4 of a stick of butter left 

Lemon zest in everything

My mom and I say 'the Bosnian way' - which pretty much means vague measurements. I'm sure its common throughout cooking history in every culture on the planet. Passed down through generations from elders with their busy hands to granddaughters with their busy eyes. 

Once out of the oven this cake was moist and dense, almost cookie like. I feel the butter might not have been cool enough when I stirred it in the flour so it seemed a bit gloopy at first. (which the SR specifically addresses...) None of which mattered at 2am in the morning when I ate a piece. Or at 8am in the morning when I had another piece, at which point it had solidified a bit and was nice and chewy.

Ok. It was good at 4 in the afternoon too, when I had to share some with The Girl who was fresh home from school.

As a writer who often writes about food and a home cook myself, I am so appreciative of the many dedicated and talented food bloggers who take time and love in the kitchen to bring warmth and goodness to our homes and families. 

In an ironic twist, this is probably the best chocolate chip
cookie I will ever make...

Ciao ciao

The Stain of Pomegranates

šipak

When I was a little girl I didn't like the taste of pomegranate juice like I do now. I just didn't know the value of the stuff. That's how it is when you are young.

When pomegranates were readily available and not expensive at the market we had them at our house.  My grandmother soaked them in the sink in cold water and then with lots of newspapers spread out on the kitchen table the two of them, she and my grandfather, would coax the pearly red seeds out of their fleshy home.  Into a bowl they went and then some sort grinding would go on.  After that, pouring and separating with colanders here and there and white cloth over  bowls and more pouring of juice with funnels. From this elaborate madness of mismatched cookware there would miraculously  appear six or eight or whatever, glass bottles of dark red stain - blue almost - so dark, the color of red.

In the afternoons, after nap time, the cousins from downstairs were called up and we would all sit in the tiny kitchen at the table with the secret drawer. Baka would put clean glasses onto the round tablet with her hands still stained and slowly she would measure out the scarlet liquid. She added ice cold mountain water from the faucet and carefully put our glasses in front of us. We drank, staring at each other, making faces and smacking darkened lips.  Baka looking out the window behind us, at the mountains, thinking to herself.

Pansies & Cookies

At Stone Gable a blog that I discovered via Pinterest I just saw this great idea. You should rush right over to Stone Gable for the recipe, which I am going to do also, to see more delectable pictures and delightful decoration tips. What a lovely find!

Source: stonegable.blogspot.com via Barbara on Pinterest

Scrumptious Pies

I bake these for the Thanksgiving holidays.. The Pumpkin Ricotta and the Cranberry Orange Pies are from recipes that I used at La Dolce Vita Bakery, when we owned that spot down in Florida in the 90's. Tried and true. Pasta Frolla crust.  Usually I kind of skim over a few Italian desert blog posts that I find on the internet if I forget my own recipe (the doddling that comes with fear of imperfection).
I go to Saveur or some similar reputable magazine to get an idea of how to proceed with an appropriate filling for the occasion (seasonal, holiday, gift). A lot of intuition goes into my baking and cooking and I know a lot of people that bake and cook will cringe. But no one ever left my table muttering under their breath so....
The third pie with Pear & Almond was delightful. It was my first attempt at the Victory Pie recipe which I found through Twitter from someone who follows Anger Burger and here is the recipe . I can tell you it was an absolute hit and fantastically delicious. Follow exactly as stated.