What a frantic fantastic day!

I never got near the kitchen last night but I did manage to make it to the store. Here's an exclusive Billy Stewart tip; there is no good produce left out at 11:20PM. I don't know what I was thinking and Jewel sells one single vanilla bean for $14.00, CRAZY! I probably could have gotten something done last night but really couldn't make myself and why worry with the whole day to bake and frost and decorate? I should have set an alarm because I woke up at 12:07 this afternoon. After running from store to store to get the rest of my needed ingredients, I started making lemon curd at 3PM. In the future I will have to manage my time better! I ended up getting everything made and assembling them at my parent's house while listening in on everyone's conversations. My piping was sloppy, I didn't grab the right size tips and the butter cream was just a little too stiff and I had no patience. Not the end of the world (they still tasted great) it just wasn't up to my standards. Oh well, I have another dozen naked cupcakes and a second bag of butter cream, without the time crunch and anxiety of performing in front of a crowd, I will pipe a few perfect cupcakes for a photo shoot and get a picture up tomorrow so you can see what these Meyer Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes should look like. The recipe came from Vanilla Bake Shop of Santa Monica, CA c/o The Martha Stewart Show. This is my go to recipe for cupcakes because they are so moist and tender. This was my first time using their lemon curd recipe. It was a much milder flavor than mine which is more tart but still really nice. Anyhow, I had a wonderful night my parents and the Webers. We had a huge dinner (I still can barely move) and boisterous conversations. Anytime with the Webers is always a lot of fun. Now I have to go tackle those dishes... or maybe that's a job better left for the morning.

Pickles, Pickles, Pickles (can't think of anything more creative.)

With a light breeze running through the house and the plants soaking up the sun I knew it was the perfect day to start preparing summer pickles. I have had the urge all week but felt that standing over a hot stove, boiling vinegar wasn't going to be fun in 90 degree weather. So I dragged Chris to the grocery store this morning to pick up some new pickling salt and spice and cucumbers and carrots. Once I got home and pulled out my recipes, I realized I had forgotten mustard seeds but decided to just fiddle around with ingredients and pray for the best (I'm not even a big fan of mustard so this could all be for the best and I know the pickles will be great no matter what.) Starting with the carrots, I peeled and sliced them on a bias making 1/4" chips, chopping about 6 cups total. With the carrots cut and placed in a large jar I crushed 5 cloves of garlic and dropped them on top. Then I boiled for 4 minutes a combination of 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups white vinegar with 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon pickling salt, 1 tablespoon pickling spice, 1 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper and 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion. After carefully pouring the hot brine over the carrots I left them open and on the counter to rest until reaching room temperature. Then I capped the jar and put them in the fridge. Next I moved onto the cucumbers, slicing two large ones into 1/4" chips. The process was basically the same and the brine was 1 1/2 cups water + 1 1/2 cups white vinegar +1 1/2 tablespoons pickling spice + 3/4 cup sugar + 2 teaspoons oregano + 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion + 6 cloves of garlic, crushed. Boil for 4 minutes but instead of pouring over the cucumbers let this rest until it comes to room temperature. I hate nothing more than soggy/soft pickles, I like a crunch and cooling the brine first will keep the crisp in the cucumber. Of course you will have to wait a few days before eating these but to me the wait is worth it. I'm anxious to pop the tops and snack on some fiery carrot chips and some cool, fresh pickle slices but until then I will just have to find a new project.

I should have mentioned...

... that those popovers are really easy to make. Just use left over pate brisee (i make batches and freeze for up to 2 months in my freezer. it's something good to keep on hand especially with spring/summer berries and fruits on their way.) Roll out thicker than you would a regular pie crust (a little over 1/8") Cut into large squares. Use what you have an make it work, size isn't important. Using washed and prepared berries, peaches, apples, oranges, plums, etc.. (You can really use anything you like. Remember to clean stone fruits properly and cut up larger fruit into manageable pieces.) Add sugar and any zest, juice, spice or herb you like. I use citrus zests and juices in most of my Spring and Summer pies. The juice will not only add great taste but it will also prevent the fruit from oxidizing, preserving the brilliant colors and flavors in the finished pie. I especially like lemon and orange in Blueberry Pies. Tangelo would be amazing too. Ok before we get off track... The amount of sugar varies as I usually make these with what's around and the amount is always different. Sprinkle in enough to lightly coat the berries. Spoon the fruit onto one side of the triangle (*in the photo, I had barely any pate brisee and had to improvise with my amount and that is why I am using triangles. BUT in the theory it is the same, see how I've put the blueberries on one half of the triangle? That's what you're going for just with squares, does that make sense? Now I've gone and confused myself.) ANYWAY, leave a quarter to half inch border. Using an egg wash (1 egg + 1 TBS heavy cream (any dairy product works; yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, etc... )You can also just use the egg.))) (<<<-----That was too many side thoughts, sorry I just want to be as helpful as possible.) Ok so brush the egg wash over those 2 borders you left around the fruit. Brush lightly, you don't want bubbles of scrambled egg in your pie, well maybe you do but I don't so easy does it. Fold the other side of the square over and seal by pressing firmly. Making sure your popover is sealed tight, move onto a Sil-Pat or foil or parchment paper line cookie sheet. Brush the entire popover with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shear make a 1" slit in the top for venting steam. Ok that's it, you're done. Pop them into a preheated 400 oven and check them in 20 mins. When checking you want to look at the color of the dough, is it as dark as you want it or does it need some more time. If it's as dark as you like or you're worried about burning, pull out and cover with foil. Use a kitchen towel and pat down the foil around each popover. Careful don't squish it. After 30-45 mins the popover will be finished. You can test the fruit by inserting a paring knife through the steam vent and into a piece of fruit. If it is tender-soft, it's done. Pair with ice cream or homemade whipped cream and it's an easy and amazing addition to any meal. Oh but don't forget to let them cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Gosh, sorry I'm spaced, off in mushroom land, dreaming of Morels and rain. I might have to just suck it, strip, grab a drum and some chicken bones and do a little dance. It's gotta be in there somewhere. So anyway sorry for the insanity that is this post. I hope you were able to find something useful in it. I am off to watch the Simpsons and sip a diet coke and not clean... I'll do it tomorrow... we'll see.

Daffodil Days

I am so ready to get back out to the woods this weekend for more mushroom hunting. I can feel it in the air that I'm going to strike morel gold... if not from the ground then darnit from Whole Foods! Hahaha. Seriously though, I am so ready for Spring treasures and actually found a little urban gold this morning. It was a typical Tuesday at work, Cece had returned and told us of her adventures in Ohio. I volunteered to run out and pick up 2 dogs that mistakenly were forgotten from the transport list. I was happy to head out and even happier when mapquest misguided me in the wrong direction. Naturally I was worried about not being at work and how long it was taking but as soon as I saw a bed of wild daffodils alongside an overpass, I was willing to take whatever crap was in store upon my arrival. When I got home, I dragged Chris back to the overpass and quickly clipped about 6 dozen. They are so bright and full. Chris stayed in the car, questioning the legality of the situation and I ran off with my scissors and smile. Who knew that even in Chicago, a little uncontrolled nature would sneak in? It just got my blood pumping and ready for the hunt this weekend. Hopefully we'll get lots of morels and maybe some pixie rings if we're lucky. I also need to get these pressed flowers organized! So much to do and so little time to do it and on that note I need to get some arrangements put together, if they're good I'll post pictures later. If they're not so great... well we'll forget this blog ever happened. Oh and I am making dinner tonight I just don't know what it is, burger or chicken something. We'll see.

Orchids and Chicken, finger lickin good.

I took a little detour from cleaning yesterday as soon as I discovered a yellow ceramic vase I found while antique hunting ages ago. I had really wanted to do a tulip arrangement (all violets would have been really striking) but 3-4 dozen tulips somehow didn't find it's way into the budget this month. Instead I repotted my youngest orchids in the vintage pot. Hopefully with a little room to stretch their roots, these guys will go into full bloom. We're keeping our fingers crossed. If you're planting anything in a container without drainage holes remember to ad 1-2" of pea gravel in the bottom and water sparingly. This will prevent root rot and keep the plant happy and healthy. They really do look spectacular in our library and I'm sure they appreciate the change of venue. Tonight I kicked off my dinner plan with fried chicken sandwiches and broccoli drizzled but kind of drowning in browned garlic butter. So far so good, I'm starting like I usually do, optimistic. But the hard part is coming, I just have to stick with it and use what we have rather than jumping on grubhub. It's just too easy, g-dangit. Seriously, after a long day of pooper scooping and torture by bark sometimes I just don't feel like cooking. Well now I will have to! I really do, hold me to this people. In the past I have made it a few weeks before "delivery" finds it's way back into my vocabulary. So we'll just see. OK people I have to get to those dishes so I won't have 2 loads tomorrow. Hope you're Monday wasn't too dreadful.