Butter Cookies

Time to bake some cookies... and we (me and the kids) wanted to make them pretty and tasty!

Butter Cookies,
by James Peterson "Baking"
2 and 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons butter, at cool room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
In bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a mixer beat the butter with the sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Mix the flour mixture with the butter/egg mixture just until it well combined. Roll the dough between waxed paper. Refrigerate until cold. Then cut it in shapes.
Preheat the oven to 325F. Bake for 15 to 20 mins. Let it cool.

Decorate with Royal Icing!

Royal Icing
1 egg white
1 cup confectioners' sugar, or more as needed.
Combine the egg white and the sugar, mix with a whisk until smooth and thick enough. Add colour if desired!

This winter busy week...

...we have been celebrating Mateo's 5ht BDay! First at home with us, and on Saturday he finally had a fun party for him and his friends.

I really wanted to go and hang out somewhere before the winter holidays begin. Toronto's busiest The Distillery District was packed with people at night watching the beautiful lights and enormous decorated tree!

Finally, I have tried to get the kids to smile for the camera so we could send some holiday cards to the family and friends! Silly - is what I get!

Happy Holidays!

Easy Raspberry Buttermilk Cake and a Magical Snow

Last night I looked out of the window and saw some huge snowflakes coming down.... so beautiful! Puts you in the mood for the holidays! Then right after I had this urge to bake...
Chosen recipe for that night was Raspberry Buttermilk Cake from here.

I love the combination of fruits in the cakes... a specially raspberries, it got that sourness with the sweetness. How do I explain that, mmmm... just try!

And here are some images of the beauty of outside this morning. When I was driving Mateo to school today, he told me that we are in the magical world of snow!

Whole Wheat Blackberry Ricotta Scones

Now I get to experiment with scones! The original recipe has raspberry instead of blackberry, but as usual I use what I do have in the fridge at the moment. Plus I bought a lot of ricotta, which is amazing for my breakfasts.

Here is the link to this recipe: Whole Wheat Raspberry Ricotta Scones!
By the way holidays are around the corner.... gotta make lots and lots of cookies! Coming up!

Cocholate Cake for my Big Boy's Birthday!

My little / big boy has turned 8 today! I am so very excited for him, because he looks so happy and overjoyed! While Andre was enjoying his new toys and games, I was enjoying making him a cake.... he wanted a Chocolate Cake!

 This cake called "Devil's Food Cake" , by James Peterson.

Needed:

Butter and flour for the cake pans.
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tspn. baking soda
1 tspn. baking powder
1/4 tspn. salt
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar (I have used brown)
3 eggs
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Combine butter, sour cream, chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Stir until smooth, once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat.
In large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in the chocolate mixture and the flour mix over. Mix!
Pour the mixture into the pan. Bake for about 25-35 min. until the toothpick comes out clean from the centre of the cake.

And here is the left over for tomorrow, and a closer look at the texture of this pretty good cake!

Scones for Breakfast...Oh, and a Last Night's SECRET!

Sometimes we are out, and there is a coffee and a nice fresh scone... usually toasted with butter in it. Tastes great, a specially if it's a chili cold day!
The other day I saw a post on Joy The Baker's blog. There are so many different recipes for making scones!!! I have tried this one Chocolate Coconut Almond Scones so easy to make, and super tasty with tea!

Last night the kids were in their room....shushing about something!
They wouldn't let me go in and said it was a Secret. Once everything was ready and set up, we walked into the room to see the reading chair full of beautiful messages with drawings of all of us! I had to run and grab the camera, because these moments make us remember this special feeling and love that is surrounding us as a family!

Love, love my boys!!!!

Salsa Salad

This Saturday! Finally I had all the ingredients at home.... I keep forgetting to buy either tomatoes... or cilantro!

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic

2 firm red tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers
1 bunch of green onion
Juice of one lime
Handful of cilantro/coriander
1 teaspoon cumin powder
Half teaspoon black pepper powder
Salt

Olive oil

Chop the vegetables as finely as you can. Don't forget to remove the seeds from the peppers before chopping.

Mix it all up in the large bowl. Top with the spices and seasoning and add freshly squeezed lime juice with olive oil.

Chill it in the fridge before serving!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

I have to admit that there is no taste of pumpkin in this cheese cake....There was a thought to make a pumpkin pie, since it was my goal this fall to make something... well anything out of pumpkin! But then I chickened out, and here it is.... a Cheese Cake!

I have based my cheesecake on this recipe, right here Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

You need:

3/4 cup graham crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cup pumpkin, I have boiled my pumpkin until soft and off to the mixer (or canned pumpkin)

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

3 pkg. (259 g each) brick cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. cornstarch

First mix graham crumbs, nuts, 1/4 cup each brown and granulated sugar, and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate 1 hr.

Heat oven to 350F.

Whisk pumpkin, remaining brown sugar, eggs and spice until well blended. Beat cream cheese, remaining granulated sugar and cornstarch in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Add pumpkin mixture; mix just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake for 45 to 50 min. Cool completely and refrigerate 4 hours. Top with anything.

Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcakes for Halloween! I have used this new recipe for the first time (or at least I have based my cupcakes on this recipe), and it's worth of repeating!

Here is the link to Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tspn baking soda
1 tspn. salt
1 tspn. cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I have used canola oil)
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tspn. white distilled vinegar
1 tspn. vanilla extract
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
4 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries(optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pan with cupcake papers.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Remembering Summer!

I have practised making lots and lots of pies..... with fresh seasonable fruits. I will be missing it all in the winter!

Strawberry and rhubarb pies.... back in June.

I have used the recipe from here Strawberry / Rhubarb Pie. This tastes like heaven. We were sitting with my mom in her backyard and thinking how it reminds us of the days on my grand-grandma's farm in Ukraine. Buns (pirozki) with strawberry and rhubarb, just picked up from the field.

Peach Blueberry Pie... back in July.

I have followed a different dough recipe from here Peach Blueberry Pie. Obviously it tasted amazing!

Here is another Pie with Apples which we have picked from the farm last month.... finally here I have felt comfortable enough with the dough to make the faces and shapes! Fun!

and here is one for the Thanks Giving dinner. I can't write about it without drooling...

Summer! I miss you already!

Alfajores Argentinean Style

This week I have bought a dulce de leche (caramel spread) big jar! And I found a recipe for Alfajores Argentinean Style online. My alfajores weren't dipped in the shredded coconut, it does adds to the flavour... a lot! I need to have it for the next time!

Strawberries... and more strawberries...

I love being surrounded by so many farms... I never miss the opportunity to taste some fresh veggies or some fruit.
June - Strawberry season, we have got a bucket full of it. I brought it home and panicked!
We need to eat it fast before it goes all bad... I haven't realized what I had done to myself that day!
All day in the kitchen; washing, cutting, preparing, freezing..... eating strawberries!

Strawberry Jam... my first time

...and... Brown Butter Banana Strawberry Bread...

I have prepared two strawberries / rhubarb pies as well, but it's in the freezer!

Yellow Squash and Meatballs Soup

One of the soup recipes that I make...
4 cups of water boiled
1/2 a yellow squash, pealed and cut in big cubes
1 cube beef bouillon
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While the boiling water making the squash soft.... cut the veggies:
1 onion chopped
1 carrot sliced
2 gloves of garlic, cut
3 potatoes, cut
1/2 pepper red or yellow, cut
1 stalk of celery, cut
Pour two tablespoons of olive oil in the frying pan, heat it up and place all the cut veggies in the frying pan. For the spices I use a 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, paprika, cumin. A little bit of pepper, and parsley, plus one bay leave. Mix it all and fry for about 5 to 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of flour over the veggies and mix it again. Medium heat high by the way. Put  aside.
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Go back to the pot with bouillon and squash. Place the soft squash in the mixer and make it smooth. Put it back into the bouillon, and add the veggies. I add some rice  as well, around 3 tbsp.
While it is all cooking, roll the meat balls in a tiny balls. Drop it in the soup and let it all cook for another 15-20 min. On a medium....even less heat high.
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For Meatballs:
1 package of ground beef
1 onion grined
1 egg
1 tspn. sals
black papper
paprika
parsley
3-5 tbspn. bread crumps
Mix it well.... wet your hands and shape the meatballs into a bite sized balls.
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Adjust spices a the end if you feel like something is missing!

Blueberry Boom!

Blueberry Muffins.

The kids won't eat blueberries anymore.... so much of it in the fridge! OK, how about blueberry everything before it goes bad, here is the recipe for the muffins: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/08/perfect-blueberry-muffins/

Blueberry Boy Bait.

Oh, I really liked that one! Was so good, I have to make it again soon... it had a very tasty crust made out of sugar and cinnamon on top! And here is the recipe for it: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/blueberry-boy-bait/