ball of wishes

Each summer as a child, our field would fill with dandelions, polka-dotting the green with bright yellow spots (I am sure it still does, but my Dad always mows the field before we get there.  You know, tidying up and such!).  We would collect them by the arm-load and string them together for floral crowns, necklaces and bracelets.  Sometimes we strung them as garlands across our pine-branch forts as a sort of decoration.

As summer edged toward it's end, the blackberries ripened and the dandelions turned to balls of wishes.  I would often get down on my tummy to get a good angle, fill up my lungs, and wish with all my might as a blew the seeds and their little parachutes across the browning field.   I don't recall what I wished for, all those summers.  Perhaps it was for the latest New Kids on the Block backpack or more neon pink scrunchies.

Now, when I see a dandelion, perfectly orbed in seeds, I am often struck by it's power of optimism:  I could wish for anything.  Anything at all.  What will you wish for?

apple snacks

I love to cook.  But sometimes, among working with food all day, waning inspiration (gasp!), and participating in calorie consuming adventures, I don't want to cook and simply need fuel.  But it still has to be tasty!

While working in kitchens, I would often reach for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (on wheat!) to help fuel me through the grueling work hours.  Simple, sustaining, and far enough removed from the fancy meals I was preparing, I probably ate a PB&J nearly every day.

When I learned my daily sandwich needed to fall by the wayside for the health of my body, I found other things to fill that need.  Nothing ever really lived up to that peanut butter sandwich, though.  I was missing that sweet and salty snack that helped to keep me full.  

I don't know what took me so long, but I slowly found my way to apples with peanut butter.    It is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, crisp and creamy, protein and carbohydrate.  Dare I say, it is even better than a PB&J?!

Now, I find an apple without peanut butter to be slightly boring - sweet, one dimensional, lacking.  Peanut butter without an apple, well, that is still delicious.

raspberry 'hostess' cupcakes

Created in the early 1900's but made iconic with the creamy filling and white squiggle in the 1950's, the Hostess CupCake carries with it feelings of nostalgia and comfort. With that feeling in mind, I created my own (slightly more grown-up) version.  This take on the Hostess classic includes a sour cream chocolate cake, raspberry filling, and a dark chocolate ganache. 

Chocolate Cake

recipe from Della Fawcett 

3 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sour cream
1 1/3 cups boiling water

Cream together butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time.  

Mix in vanilla.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. 

Add the dry mixture to the butter and egg mixture, alternating with the sour cream.

Mix in the boiling water.

Portion the batter into paper-lined muffin tin, filling only 2/3 full. 

Bake at 350'F for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Let cool to room temperature

Cream Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar 

juice of 1/2 lemon 

1/4 cup raspberry jam

1/8 teaspoon salt.

Cream together butter, sugar, and salt.  

Add lemon juice and jam and mix until well combined.

 You may want to adjust by adding more powdered sugar or a few teaspoons of milk. 

Chocolate Ganache

1- 12oz bag chocolate chips

 (I used 60% cacao Ghirardelli chocolate)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat together chocolate and cream until just melted, stirring to help melt the chocolate pieces. 

Drizzle 

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk 

2 drops red food coloring

Mix together until smooth. 

Adjust consistency as needed by adding more sugar or milk.

Assembly

With a pastry tip (I used a #4 round) in a pastry bag, fill bag with cream filling. 

Holding the cupcake in one hand, insert the tip into the top of the cupcake, until you are close to the middle.  

Squeeze cream gently while holding the cupcake to monitor it's fill level.  You will feel the cupcake expanding in your hand, but you don't want to put so much cream in that the cake explodes!  

With a butter or palatte knife, scrape away excess filling from the top of the cupcake.

Top with ganache and gently spread to the edges. 

Once chocolate is cooled, squiggle on the design of your choice!