The Sweet Life

I'm known as the Cupcake Lady in a certain circle.  This is the third year my friends Corey and Marcy have hosted a Crawfish Boil/Joint Birthday Bash, and as usual, my cupcakes have been requested.  This time I made PB&J and Coconut cupcakes. My trend lately has been making desserts and pastries that I didn't like very much or eat as a child.  First, the variation on the Pop-Tarts , and now PB&J.  See, I didn't like jelly, and occasionally eat it as an adult on toast (mostly after a night of drinking when we hit the 24 hour breakfast spot), but I decided to make a cupcake version.  Instead of using jelly, I cooked some grape juice with agar agar to make a fluid gel.  I baked a vanilla cupcake, cut a cone out of the top, filled the hole with the gel, then topped them with a peanut butter buttercream.  Not peanut butter and confectioner's sugar, but the real deal!  I also tried out a coconut cupcake recipe I've been sitting on for a while ...

I've been in a candy-making mood. Yesterday I made nougats, and these coconut bars. I'm not sure how I decided to make these bars, but I do know that I have been sitting on some cherry blossom extract that Rachel of  La Fuji Mama sent me ages ago. I figured that this would be a good way to use some of it. Although we make these bars at work, I found another recipe online. I was feeling a little lazy, so instead of scaling down one recipe, I just used one from Martha Stewart's website. It is best to use dessicated coconut, not fresh, though I have one in my photo. The extra moisture in the fresh coconut will not allow the bars to set. I just happened to have a whole coconut on hand and decided to use it for some "background noise". I found dessicated coconut at Whole Foods in the baking section. It is unsweetened which is important because the sweetened condensed milk and chocolates have enough sugar in them for the recipe. I know that Martha's or...

What is comforting to you? Specifically what food does your body long for, and do you have any traditional ways of serving that food? I am flying back to Chicago and reading The Gastronomy of Marriage, A Memoir of Food and Love and the following line prompted me to think. Michelle Maisto writes: Where do our ideas about what’s comforting come from? Is it what we’re fed when we’re young? When we’re sick? Is it the foods of our families?” I had these grand ideas of what I would cook for my mother when I went to help her. But after I cooked a dish that was new to me, now known as Mom’s Mexican “bowl” according to her specifications, she liked it, and thanked me. “That’s comfort food,” she said, “It comforts me.” She told me the same thing after I’d cooked a casserole she’s so fond of. These certainly weren’t foods that her mother cooked for her; in fact, these dishes were new to her repertoire; something she’d discovered after I had moved out. When I’m ill, whether it’s...

Today is my last day with my mom and the cats. I came home to help her when she had rotator cuff surgery two weeks ago. Though I am leaving, I am worried about her. She still can't move her arm to drive, cook, clean. I sincerely wish I could stay, but the decisions I would have to make are hard, and negotiating more time off from work wouldn't be fun either. It is tempting to just let it all go and be here with her. I am grateful for the time I had here, yet I feel like it wasn't enough. I didn't do enough to ensure her comfort after I leave. I didn't cook enough, plan enough, set up enough of a support structure for her in my absence and that weighs heavily on my mind. I know she says that she'll make it, but she deserves more than just "making it." My biggest fear is that the woman who brought me up to be independent will push herself a little too hard and hurt herself. But I know that I have to trust that everything will be ok, but knowled...

After April's dinner, I haven't done much. I'm in Texas, helping my mother around the house. She had her rotator cuff repaired almost two weeks ago. I was prepared to head back and do another dinner by the end of next week, and start a part-time job. She got her staples out today, and the incision looks great. She's excited about her recovery and am happy for her. Unfortunately she's going to have limited mobility for the next 4 weeks. So, here I am with this huge kitchen but no inspiration. Well, that and no tools. It's kinda ironic, don't you think? I have been cooking, and a couple of desserts, but the oven isn't baking right which took me a couple of tries to figure that out (a fact my dad tells me after I've nearly burned the shortcakes!). I have been keeping in the loop via blogs, Facebook, and Twitter and must admit that I am jealous to be missing out on my Green City Market this week. I've been having rhubarb dreams again, ...

Coconut Panna Cotta Marcona Almond Toffee Streusel, Salted Vanilla Caramel, Salted Coconut Chips, Pineapple Foam, Basil Gel and Micro Basil. I am guilty of not getting stuff done. It's been a combination of time, stress, problems with work, and being overwhelmed with life in general. I haven't updated my blog in a long time, nor have I posted pics from the farm or other projects. I haven't given up hope yet; I hope to get around to some of this soon. See, my mom had surgery a couple of days ago and I'm in Katy for a couple of weeks taking care of her. I hope to get more stuff sorted out and posted while she sleeps between medicine doses. S. and I cooked another dinner in April sans his friend Ryan. It was a bit more stressful and we were pressed for time since he wanted to get as much as he could from Green City Market on Saturday morning. I was sick starting the previous Saturday with allergies and asthma, and had a cough I could not shake, which meant I couldn...