New England Whoopie Pies...Yummy

Decided to make whoopie pies for a change...the original ones chocolate not the new breed...now there are so many variations...pumpkin, red velvet, oatmeal and the list goes on...the recipe is New England Whoopie Pies from Maine so how do you beat that! It was an easy recipe and the results were fabulous. It called for cocoa so I used natural cocoa...which did not give the deep black color we are used to seeing whoopie pies have...when I saw the batter I was disappointed and decided next time to try dutch processed cocoa which will definitely give that dark color but will also alter the flavor...worth an experiment to see what happens.

Brown sugar and shortening creamed till light and fluffy..love the Kitchen aid...no way I could beat this to come close to this texture

Dry and wet ingredients measured and ready to add alternately...remember always start with dry and end with dry...

Batter placed on baking sheet and spread to 4 inches...ready to hit the oven

Look at those little cakes baking in the new oven...go baby cakes go!!!!!

End result...light and airy cakes cooling

All filled with a light fluffy marshmallow fluff filling....so so tasty

Wrapped each cake in plastic wrap as suggest so the cakes don't stick together...of course one did not make it to the wrapping process and was shared by baker and her husband!!!!!

While the color was lighter than expected...the texture and taste was all I had hoped for...nothing like a whoopie pie to make one smack their lips and smile!!!!!

Elizabeth

New Appliances

My frig died...first the freezer then the refrigerator...thank goodness we didn't have it packed...some frozen salmon, grouper, swordfish and lots of berries cranberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries)...I was able to cook the shrimp so we have very generous servings of shrimp cocktail...husband did not complain!!!!!

So we had to buy a new one...it has been a while and the world of appliances has changed...much taller and deeper. I did not want anything too fancy...after speaking with a few sales people we can to find out that many folks want their handles to match which means you have to buy a line rather than mix and match pieces and manufacturer's. Some don't care and do mix and match. Because we plan on moving within a few years we decided to match handles. Our frig had to fit into a certain space to height and width was a determining factor and really the most important.

We knew we wanted stainless so that was easy...we ended up with a Whirlpool and also decided to get a new range (old one over 20 years old) and finished out the ensemble with a new dishwasher (over 13 years old)...we already had a new over the stove combo convection/microwave oven so that was not needed.

Everything was delivered within two days and they look wonderful...now we need new counter tops, cupboard and drawer handles and floor...


The frig is great...the stove is a bit overwhelming...it has a ceramic glass top and was tricky at first. I am little put off by cleaning it and don't want anything to happen to it. The glowing burners under the glass seemed odd and a bit spooky the first time they powered up and down. The oven has no coil in the bottom as it is under the metal. There is a well to add water to as this oven has a steam clean feature which is very nice....should make cleaning up little spills alot easier. I have baked banana bread in it and they loaves actually cooked a little faster and the golden color was even...VERY NICE. So far so good. I have bought so many cleaning products, cloths, scrapers etc for the cook top...I may be over doing it but this cook top is strange and so shiny...hate for anything to happen to it.

New dishwasher is tall and boy can I pack it...flatware basket is on the door and can be moved to the pull out racks but using the door actually allows for more space on the racks.

So we have made a nice upgrade to the kitchen....have to learn some new cleaning tricks!!!!! I wish they could come up with something that polishes itself, keeps pots from boiling over and sugary spills from hitting the floor of the oven and grease from splattering on the oven walls..then all would be perfect.

Elizabeth

Cathy's Birthday Lemon Curd Cake

My sister Cathy loves lemon anything...I can remember her when we were kids sucking on lemons...that is definitely the mark of a lemon lover....so for her birthday I made her the Lemon Curd Cake from "Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook"....absolutely delicious and the lemon loving Cathy gave it 5 stars so you can take that as sign you should bake this cake...because it is so rich and tart, a small sliver is all you need which means this cake can serve a crowd without a problem...


A page from the book.....

I always make lemon curd from the cookbook "Luscious Lemon Desserts" by Lori Longbotham...it is fabulous...it is very similar to the recipe in the MS Baking Handbook...if you love lemon this cookbook has some delightful lemon desserts...the lemon bars are to die for!

The butter readied for creaming....

Dry ingredients prepared....

Lemon zest, lemon juice and sour cream ready...these ingredients add the moisture and flavor the cake...


Butter and sugar creamed together...light and fluffy....

A beautiful batter....

Batter divided evenly in buttered pans lined with parchment paper buttered again and then floured...no chance these cakes were not coming out of the pans in one piece!

Beautiful golden layers baked in about 35 minutes....

After the cakes cooled...I made the Swiss Meringue frosting which lemon curd is added to for another blast of lemon flavor...the cakes are split in two and layered with lemon curd and stacked four high...a crumb layer of frosting is applied and the cake is chilled for a half hour...then the remainder of the cake is iced and chilled again for a half hour and then the cake is decorated with lemon curd dots and stripes...it has wonderful eye appeal and is soooooo goooood..


Isn't this a beauty of a cake...Cathy enjoyed it as well as everyone else...

Elizabeth

It's Back and Now I'm Back

My laptop died...it was a slow death...many trips to the computer hospital, many different treatments but to no avail it needed a new heart...so a new hard drive was inserted and now it lives!!!!! So now I am back...so much has happened in these past few months...lots of fun, good times, the holidays and snow....lots of snow!!!!!

So I backtrack a bit...to Halloween...Natalie came to make cookies from a Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe and the campground had their annual Halloween Trick or Treat...lots of safe fun for kids...they run like gazelles - laughing, screaming and having fun - free from all the "bad" stuff so many of us worry about...why can't the whole world be like this for kids...I am so thankful these kids have a place created by this campground owner and maintained by the parents where they can do what kids are suppose to do...run, walk, swim, do crafts, sit and think awhile, listen to music, have potluck suppers and most important sleep soundly as they grow...

Here is Natalie making Halloween lollipop cookies....sugar cookies placed on a stick after rolling in sprinkles...black and orange of course...

The finished project individually wrapped in glassine bags and tied with ribbon...absolutely wonderful and delicious too!!!!!

Natalie prepared to go trick or treating at the campground as Dorothy...get a load of those socks and shoes...

I received a phone call with a message from Emily saying she wanted to be a blue crab for Halloween...A BLUE CRAB?! How did she ever think of that? She asked if I could help make her costume...WOW...that set me back a bit...a clown, witch, ballerina or a princess is what I would expected but a blue crab...okay with some thought and research to exactly what a blue crab looks like...Sandie (Emily's Mom, my niece) and I set out to create the costume...fabric, thread, sewing machine and sewing notions in hand I think we did a great job...

Emily the blue crab

Here is the gang just before taking off...Natalie (4 years old) as Dorothy, Olivia (1 year old) as a lobster, Emily (4 years old) as a blue crab and Randy (15 years old) as himself....

So it goes...I'll add a bit more later today...I look forward to hearing back from those I have missed...especially Alice in Maine!!!!!

Elizabeth

"Girls" Rule

My sister Lisa came laden with gifts...her "girls' have started laying! Lisa, her husband Ed and my niece Natalie have taken on raising chickens. The chickens are now laying eggs...each chicken lays one a day and with six "ladies" in the coop, a daily bounty is guaranteed. WOW! I have learned a lot about chickens just listening to Ed and Lisa. My sister said every morning she goes out to feed "her girls" and they always come out to meet her.

Aren't these eggs gorgeous. Here in New England there is a saying "Brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh"...well let me say these eggs do not get any fresher! Almost to pretty to eat...but I gained my senses and decided to make omelets for supper....

Look at the color...yellow as the sun!

I added fresh thyme from my garden and when the omelets where ready to serve, I snipped some fresh chives on top...YUM...

I stuffed the omelets with sauteed mushrooms, apple wood smoked bacon lardons and a little fresh cheddar from a local creamery. I made a fresh garlic vinaigrette using garlic from our garden to top the baby spinach salad.

How does anyone have a more delightful meal...fresh greens, local cheese, garlic and herbs from my garden, and the star of the show...fresh eggs from Lisa, Ed and Natalie!!!!!

Delicious...and a very special thank you to "the girls"!!!!!

Elizabeth

A Perfect Breakfast

My sister Lisa surprised us with a lovely jar of homemade grape jelly!!!!! My nephew bought a new home and on the property were wild concord grapes...leave it to Lisa to sniff them out. She said she picked loads and she proceeded to make jelly.


Not only did she make jelly, she also made the presentation delightful. The quilted glass jars are finished with squares of pretty red and white plaid fabric and then a beautiful hand printed label is applied. A perfect gift!


Look at the color and clarity of this jelly...it is perfect!



Warm toasted buttered country bread smothered with homemade grape jelly...
A Perfect Breakfast!

Lucky me,

Elizabeth

Sound the Alarms...Dad's Hot Peppers are Ready for Delivery

My father is a grower of hot peppers. He grows many varieties and knows the Scoville Units of each pepper he grows. The Scoville scale is the measure of the chemical capsaicin in each variety that presents the sensation of heat one experiences when eating a certain pepper. The range is 0 to 16 million. No capsaicin the measure is zero such as that for a sweet bell pepper. The level of capsaicin can vary in each variety to watch out!!!!! Jalapenos have 8,000 units, Serranos 23,000 units, Poblanos 2,000 units, Harbaneros 350,000 units and the list goes on.

This is a bag full of all sorts of hot peppers my father gives away to friends and family...

Today he picked a load of Cayennes and I strung them on dental floss and added a raffia bow to hang them and let them dry. Aren't they beautiful all grouped together!!!!!

This is an example of some of the varieties he grows....looks like a page out a magazine!!!!!

They are gorgeous...perfect examples of a hot pepper harvest...

My father has really taken to growing many many varieties and loves to share them...most amazing he never eats them...just grows and gives...a true gardener!!!!!

Elizabeth