morning blogfans!
as luck would have it we received a "last minute" invitation to easter dinner with our friends, "the shekelles." elsa is such a wonderful hostess and master of tasteful, yet healthy dining. knowing that we were already out for the day she said we didn't really need to bring anything "unless we felt like picking up some dessert." apparently she doesn't know me as well as i thought! pick up dessert? surely, she was jesting me knowing i would, with time, make dessert! well, i can always find time to make dessert and this time, i was more than pleased with my coffee cake redux!
as we were relaxing after brunch my thoughts kept drifting to dessert options with the emphasis on easy. i figured most people would have had their fill of chocolate and bunny ears by evening so what could i make that would be sweet and light and fresh???? mark kept saying "just cut the left over coffee cake into smaller bites and be done!" "absolutely not," i said. no way was i taking a brunch pastry to dinner...unless....perhaps...i wonder if i could use the leftover strawberry coffee cake in something else. something more formal and festive. like perhaps a trifle?!? hmm. let me do a little google-search! oh, look at this, a strawberry trifle recipe!
now, i have never made a trifle although i have thought about it. i never wanted to invest in the extra dishes just for something i may only serve once. (i don't know why but trifle has a special bowl and serving cups...) after a bit of consideration and review i decided to go for it. i looked around my kitchen and i had all of the ingredients necessary if i substituted the strawberry coffee cake AND a suitable trifle bowl stand-in. with my alterations to the original recipe i would have something new and flavorful using my brunch leftovers. now, i am excited. adrenaline is pumping through my veins at the thought of charting a new food course!
trifle is easy to make. it's just time-consuming as there are multiple components that must be prepared separately and then put together in layers. first i made the fresh strawberry sauce. then, i made the pudding. and the fresh whipped cream. then, combined them together into a sweet airy concoction. sliced another pound of strawberries. cubed the coffee cake and polished my glass bowl to a sparkling shine. the next part was easy---like dessert lasagna with a layer of cake topped with strawberry slices and sauce and then the pudding whip and repeat three times. when the bowl was full, i topped the whole trifle with plain whipped cream and garnished with more strawberry slices and some fresh mint from my garden. it looked impressive and if weight and size matters, it felt impressive too! i had to wonder how a little cake and a lot of whipped cream could be so heavy!
arriving at our dinner party our friends were so excited by the dessert. elsa even had a trifle set which she happily dug out for serving! we relaxed and enjoyed conversation over a traditional easter dinner of baked ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus and a green salad. everyone was quite full so i was a bit worried that the trifle would be too much and put us in a food coma...
what a delicious surprise! even the full bowl weighed a ton and each serving seemed like a pound each spoonful was like sweet air. perfectly creamy, full of fresh strawberry flavor and light. everyone asked what kind of cake i used because the trifle had a slightly different flavor. i had to confess i "recycled" my coffee cake. "impressive" and "can i please have a bit more" were the comments that confirmed sweet success to me.
a delicious easter from brunch to dinner for all!
xoxox
Monday, April 5, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
this is how the coffee cake crumbles...
morning blogland!
and happy easter to those that celebrate this day as such...and a beautiful day to everyone else too!
so, it's been awhile since my last post. what can i say, life has been mixin it up so much for me lately that i haven't had time to "mix it up" in my blog. and because i know that no one really wants to know of my trials and tribulations, i go to a rogue silence during frustrating times. i'm here now though and that's all that truly matters, right?
lately as far as food goes, i have been playing around with coffee cakes and all things struesel topped. just last week while camping out at joshua tree national park in the indian cove campground---which to me is like "heaven's playground," we made a most delicious blueberry cobbler cake with a walnut struesel topping over the campfire in our dutch oven. first, i must qualify this with the unequivocal truth that EVERYTHING TASTES GREAT WHEN YOU ARE CAMPING, but this cake was exception. with the help of my darling camp cook helpers, kiana and becca we concocted a warm & gooey sweet treat that we topped with whipped cream and then devoured within minutes. next time, we make a double batch---double dutch, that is!
another place i have been watching the coffee cake crumble is at my photolicious workshops. these are all day saturday events that start around 9am and go til 5pm. if you want to come out and work on archiving your family's best memories, this is the place for you. call me for upcoming dates...for my hard-croppin friends i like to keep them motivated with delicous sustenance starting with a yummy coffee cake. yes, i know they are working with photos and crumbs and powdered sugar dust do not go together. but so far, no one has complained when they have had to step away from their workstation to experience a bite of my moist banana coffee cake. this recent cake was amazing! of course, before the morning that i prepared it i had not even known about banana coffee cake but as i see "google" as an extention of my inner mind i thought for a moment, "hmmm i wonder if anyone makes banana coffee cake..." and before i knew it i was typing my search and low and behold turned up a simple yet delish morning treat. you can say what you want about the internet, i will just continue to worship everyday at the house of google. i cannot express how much i love having the world's largest library at my fingertips waiting for me to come and explore...
keeping on the tropical coffee cake theme, i have also dabbled in pineapples with struesel. on a recent weekend we were enjoying a "short" visit with our dear friend shortie and while i was making the morning joe i thought, "wow, some coffee cake would sure be nice. i wonder if i can make it with pineapples..." and lo and behold my darling "betty" did not disappoint. by the way, if you do not have an older edition of a betty crocker cookbook in your cookbook arsenal, run to a nearby yard sale or thrift store now cause one of these pre-1980 is truly a treasure trove of basic yet good eats! and, more importantly, appropriate portion sizes that have not been SUPERSIZED! but i digress...back to the pineapple upside down coffee cake, AMAZING! and, thankfully, with just four of us lasted for two conversation filled koffee klatches!
which brings me to this beautiful easter morning. i woke with a start around 625am when i realized that the "easter bunny" had not officially visited our house as his little bag of treats was still laying in bags hidden on the side of my bed. i knew with some fast hoppin "he" could still make a visit without awaking one of his biggest fans. so, i jumped up and hopped to the 1st job at hand of filling the basket and then laying the trail...shhhhh! don't tell on me ok?
next, i started thinking about the brunch we are invited to at our friends, the cranes, after church. (today we will sample presbyterian practices for the first time to mix it up spiritually too.) we are not required to bring anything but judith said in her message that she "knows i like to make desserts so if i want to bring something, that would be great." hey j, just say it: "if i'm making brunch you are expected to bring the dessert! hahaha! now, we spent a most amazing christmas dinner with these friends where we shared a dinner of foods from around the world. lydia and i went french and made a croche en bouche masterpiece that left everyone covered in powdered sugar and chocolate and filled to the brim with our fresh baked cream puffs. what could i bring today that will be on par with that? i mean, i do have a reputation to uphold...i looked around the kitchen uninspired and heard mark suggest i make something with strawberries and i thought, BORING until i had an afterthought of "strawberry struesel topped coffee cake???" now that sounds fresh!!!
so, it's in the oven as i write. (which has been so enjoyable in this early morning quiet.) lydia just woke up and is currently rummaging through the bunny trail and the cake is minutes away from coming out of the oven. all is well on this chilly easter morning in lalaland. i've gotta run and make myself pretty for church. so, however you mix it up with yours, take a moment to truly count your many blessings.
xoxox
and happy easter to those that celebrate this day as such...and a beautiful day to everyone else too!
so, it's been awhile since my last post. what can i say, life has been mixin it up so much for me lately that i haven't had time to "mix it up" in my blog. and because i know that no one really wants to know of my trials and tribulations, i go to a rogue silence during frustrating times. i'm here now though and that's all that truly matters, right?
lately as far as food goes, i have been playing around with coffee cakes and all things struesel topped. just last week while camping out at joshua tree national park in the indian cove campground---which to me is like "heaven's playground," we made a most delicious blueberry cobbler cake with a walnut struesel topping over the campfire in our dutch oven. first, i must qualify this with the unequivocal truth that EVERYTHING TASTES GREAT WHEN YOU ARE CAMPING, but this cake was exception. with the help of my darling camp cook helpers, kiana and becca we concocted a warm & gooey sweet treat that we topped with whipped cream and then devoured within minutes. next time, we make a double batch---double dutch, that is!
another place i have been watching the coffee cake crumble is at my photolicious workshops. these are all day saturday events that start around 9am and go til 5pm. if you want to come out and work on archiving your family's best memories, this is the place for you. call me for upcoming dates...for my hard-croppin friends i like to keep them motivated with delicous sustenance starting with a yummy coffee cake. yes, i know they are working with photos and crumbs and powdered sugar dust do not go together. but so far, no one has complained when they have had to step away from their workstation to experience a bite of my moist banana coffee cake. this recent cake was amazing! of course, before the morning that i prepared it i had not even known about banana coffee cake but as i see "google" as an extention of my inner mind i thought for a moment, "hmmm i wonder if anyone makes banana coffee cake..." and before i knew it i was typing my search and low and behold turned up a simple yet delish morning treat. you can say what you want about the internet, i will just continue to worship everyday at the house of google. i cannot express how much i love having the world's largest library at my fingertips waiting for me to come and explore...
keeping on the tropical coffee cake theme, i have also dabbled in pineapples with struesel. on a recent weekend we were enjoying a "short" visit with our dear friend shortie and while i was making the morning joe i thought, "wow, some coffee cake would sure be nice. i wonder if i can make it with pineapples..." and lo and behold my darling "betty" did not disappoint. by the way, if you do not have an older edition of a betty crocker cookbook in your cookbook arsenal, run to a nearby yard sale or thrift store now cause one of these pre-1980 is truly a treasure trove of basic yet good eats! and, more importantly, appropriate portion sizes that have not been SUPERSIZED! but i digress...back to the pineapple upside down coffee cake, AMAZING! and, thankfully, with just four of us lasted for two conversation filled koffee klatches!
which brings me to this beautiful easter morning. i woke with a start around 625am when i realized that the "easter bunny" had not officially visited our house as his little bag of treats was still laying in bags hidden on the side of my bed. i knew with some fast hoppin "he" could still make a visit without awaking one of his biggest fans. so, i jumped up and hopped to the 1st job at hand of filling the basket and then laying the trail...shhhhh! don't tell on me ok?
next, i started thinking about the brunch we are invited to at our friends, the cranes, after church. (today we will sample presbyterian practices for the first time to mix it up spiritually too.) we are not required to bring anything but judith said in her message that she "knows i like to make desserts so if i want to bring something, that would be great." hey j, just say it: "if i'm making brunch you are expected to bring the dessert! hahaha! now, we spent a most amazing christmas dinner with these friends where we shared a dinner of foods from around the world. lydia and i went french and made a croche en bouche masterpiece that left everyone covered in powdered sugar and chocolate and filled to the brim with our fresh baked cream puffs. what could i bring today that will be on par with that? i mean, i do have a reputation to uphold...i looked around the kitchen uninspired and heard mark suggest i make something with strawberries and i thought, BORING until i had an afterthought of "strawberry struesel topped coffee cake???" now that sounds fresh!!!
so, it's in the oven as i write. (which has been so enjoyable in this early morning quiet.) lydia just woke up and is currently rummaging through the bunny trail and the cake is minutes away from coming out of the oven. all is well on this chilly easter morning in lalaland. i've gotta run and make myself pretty for church. so, however you mix it up with yours, take a moment to truly count your many blessings.
xoxox
Monday, January 25, 2010
My Cornucopia of Chaos!
I woke up this morning in a great mood---well rested and organized with what i was going to accomplish today...well, life had a few other plans for me and decided to start sharing them at about 6:57am!
I put 4 cups of water on to boil and added my steel cut oats---I was really looking forward to having these for breakfast as they are my absolute favorite thing to eat in the morning with frozen wild blueberries, toasted almonds, a sprinkle of brown sugar and cream...AND, i just bought these fast cooking version from TJ's that is done in 8mins so I am psyched to think I can make my breakfast and still be on time for my carpool...So, the pot comes to a boil and I turn it down to simmer and set the timer for 7 mins and walk away to the bathroom...I return in less than 3 mins to a bubbling brew of what looks like vomit all over the top of my stove AND the oats are not even done cooking! UGH! I still need to make lunch for my daughter and leave by 7:15am...this will just have to wait.
Go to the fridge to gather out the salad making stuff and what do i find---------a pool of some leaching liquid that looks like piss but smells like nothing i have ever smelt before. OMG, now i need to pull everything out and have a spontaneous cleaning session of every piece of food inside and all of the drawers and shelves! I have not even had a sip of my coffee...which is sadly lacking in cream....and I am buried in a Cornucopia of Chaos! So, I yell for help from Mr. Sleeper and he offers to drive the carpool while i clean things up!
I learned a couple of new things during this process, here's the first:
Sinks are like men! And, SIZE DOES MATTER! My sink is not the smallest I have seen but for the amount of cooking that goes down in my kitchen it is definitely NOT big enough to satisfy most of my culinary & cleaning tasks----so, now I have a wet floor too. Hey, when you are cleaning at 7am, why not mop the floor too!
Next, I learned something more philosophical...As I was standing there in my kitchen cursing the mess with every explicative I chastise my daughter for saying, I realized that even though I have a supersize mess on my hands, at least I HAVE MY VERY OWN KITCHEN. And, I was moved to great thankfulness! And, even though all of our food looks like an explosion, we are NOT going to go hungry tonight! God Bless the people of Haiti at this great hour of need...
And then I thought for a moment, and decided that when life hands me lemons, I am going to bake a "Lemon Merinque Pie with a Pomegranate Twist! Yes, this is a newly inspired recipe that I am going to experiment with today. Cuz, really, isn't that what "mixin it up" is all about?
So, in addition to the chaos of boiled over steel cut oats, strange ooze all over the inside of my fridge, an impromptu juicing of 25lbs grapefruit, 3lbs of mixed lemons & limes and 1 lone pomegranite, I now have a clean fridge, stove and floor, fresh grapefruit juice, a pie started, and turkey stuffed magical peppers AND veggie delight stuffed peppers with a mushroom duxelle all ready for dinner tonight and I wrote this blog and it's only 9am!!!!!
So, here's my question.........how's your morning going?????
ps...check back in a few hours for my newly created recipes for Lemon Meringue Pie w/a Pomegranite Twist and "Magic Stuffed Peppers."
Have a magical day!
xoxox
mrs. z
I put 4 cups of water on to boil and added my steel cut oats---I was really looking forward to having these for breakfast as they are my absolute favorite thing to eat in the morning with frozen wild blueberries, toasted almonds, a sprinkle of brown sugar and cream...AND, i just bought these fast cooking version from TJ's that is done in 8mins so I am psyched to think I can make my breakfast and still be on time for my carpool...So, the pot comes to a boil and I turn it down to simmer and set the timer for 7 mins and walk away to the bathroom...I return in less than 3 mins to a bubbling brew of what looks like vomit all over the top of my stove AND the oats are not even done cooking! UGH! I still need to make lunch for my daughter and leave by 7:15am...this will just have to wait.
Go to the fridge to gather out the salad making stuff and what do i find---------a pool of some leaching liquid that looks like piss but smells like nothing i have ever smelt before. OMG, now i need to pull everything out and have a spontaneous cleaning session of every piece of food inside and all of the drawers and shelves! I have not even had a sip of my coffee...which is sadly lacking in cream....and I am buried in a Cornucopia of Chaos! So, I yell for help from Mr. Sleeper and he offers to drive the carpool while i clean things up!
I learned a couple of new things during this process, here's the first:
Sinks are like men! And, SIZE DOES MATTER! My sink is not the smallest I have seen but for the amount of cooking that goes down in my kitchen it is definitely NOT big enough to satisfy most of my culinary & cleaning tasks----so, now I have a wet floor too. Hey, when you are cleaning at 7am, why not mop the floor too!
Next, I learned something more philosophical...As I was standing there in my kitchen cursing the mess with every explicative I chastise my daughter for saying, I realized that even though I have a supersize mess on my hands, at least I HAVE MY VERY OWN KITCHEN. And, I was moved to great thankfulness! And, even though all of our food looks like an explosion, we are NOT going to go hungry tonight! God Bless the people of Haiti at this great hour of need...
And then I thought for a moment, and decided that when life hands me lemons, I am going to bake a "Lemon Merinque Pie with a Pomegranate Twist! Yes, this is a newly inspired recipe that I am going to experiment with today. Cuz, really, isn't that what "mixin it up" is all about?
So, in addition to the chaos of boiled over steel cut oats, strange ooze all over the inside of my fridge, an impromptu juicing of 25lbs grapefruit, 3lbs of mixed lemons & limes and 1 lone pomegranite, I now have a clean fridge, stove and floor, fresh grapefruit juice, a pie started, and turkey stuffed magical peppers AND veggie delight stuffed peppers with a mushroom duxelle all ready for dinner tonight and I wrote this blog and it's only 9am!!!!!
So, here's my question.........how's your morning going?????
ps...check back in a few hours for my newly created recipes for Lemon Meringue Pie w/a Pomegranite Twist and "Magic Stuffed Peppers."
Have a magical day!
xoxox
mrs. z
Saturday, January 16, 2010
magic abounds in san francisco...
what a day!
but let's work backwards from dinner...black sweet rice steamed quite simply. sauteed sliced brussel sprouts with caramelized shallots and pecans with a dash of maple syrup. along with magically rubbed flatiron steak served with a newly created magical sauce and a fresh salad of avocados, mixed greens and tomatoes...oh my goodness! paired with two delicious bottles of wine: a cline and some trueblood shared with old friends and family...i have heard there are amazing restaurants and dining experiences to be had in san francisco, but that will have to wait until tomorrow because this dinner in on a rainy night was beyond perfect!
nitenite...
but let's work backwards from dinner...black sweet rice steamed quite simply. sauteed sliced brussel sprouts with caramelized shallots and pecans with a dash of maple syrup. along with magically rubbed flatiron steak served with a newly created magical sauce and a fresh salad of avocados, mixed greens and tomatoes...oh my goodness! paired with two delicious bottles of wine: a cline and some trueblood shared with old friends and family...i have heard there are amazing restaurants and dining experiences to be had in san francisco, but that will have to wait until tomorrow because this dinner in on a rainy night was beyond perfect!
nitenite...
Friday, January 15, 2010
sleeper's magic rub heads north...
in our quest to spread the love for our taste-full, magical products we are going to fancy food west, the premiere event for the gourmet and specialty food industry.
held in san francisco from 1/17-19 this is our chance to explore new options and opportunities for growth in our foods.
so, food fans and lovers of magic who will be in the san francisco area, follow our updates on twitter and come by and see us!
that's all for now...
love & spice,
mrs. zzz
held in san francisco from 1/17-19 this is our chance to explore new options and opportunities for growth in our foods.
so, food fans and lovers of magic who will be in the san francisco area, follow our updates on twitter and come by and see us!
that's all for now...
love & spice,
mrs. zzz
Saturday, January 9, 2010
4 days without doughy carbs makes mrs. sleeper...
well, first the shrimp...when i walked in the door i was overwhelmed by the aromas of garlic and herbs. oh, it smelled heavenly! and then i peeked to the kitchen to see mr. sleeper putting the finishing touches on the dinner platter---he thought it would be fun to eat with our fingers cause everyone ought to "play with their food" every once in a while---so he circled a platter with skewered magic shrimp and filled the center with farmer's market fresh steamed broccoli. (i wish i had my camera for a picture...but i ran out of my office without it! suffice to say, it was a site to behold!) mr. sleeper KNOWS food stylin!
so, we sat down all comfy on the couch and popped in a video. he poured us some wine and BANG! bad shrimp! how can something look and smell fresh at the market, look and smell intoxicating on the platter and then taste off---you know, shrimpy? we attempted to eat another skewer thinking it was just one bad shrimp but alas we gave up and cleansed our palate with lots of broccoli and wine and...
popcorn!!! oh, yes! sleeper's magic rub on a stove popped bucket of popcorn with drizzled butter cured us of the "shrimpy shrimp!" and, it's one snack that is low carb so i barely broke any rules.
i sure felt naughty!
so, we sat down all comfy on the couch and popped in a video. he poured us some wine and BANG! bad shrimp! how can something look and smell fresh at the market, look and smell intoxicating on the platter and then taste off---you know, shrimpy? we attempted to eat another skewer thinking it was just one bad shrimp but alas we gave up and cleansed our palate with lots of broccoli and wine and...
popcorn!!! oh, yes! sleeper's magic rub on a stove popped bucket of popcorn with drizzled butter cured us of the "shrimpy shrimp!" and, it's one snack that is low carb so i barely broke any rules.
i sure felt naughty!
Friday, January 8, 2010
sprinkling magic into 2010...
hello blogland!
this is my first post! woohoo!
i have thought about this and pondered the how and when of this for years...and now, within a couple of minutes on a friday night, here i am. blogging!
so, now the what! the meat of this blog is gonna focus on adding magic to meals and finding magic in the moment, making magic out of the ordinary and sharing magic with those you love. . . i love magic!
so first, food...tonight mr. sleeper has added some sleeper's magic rub "original" to fresh shrimp. i cannot wait to taste it. first, because i am starved! and second because i have been cutting back on the carbs after a "magical holiday" culinary binge of cookies and champagne...
back to the shrimp...when i eat shrimp it always makes me feel naughty...like i am sneaking a treat! decadently! richly!
oh, there's the call. gotta go. i will let you know how bad i was later...
xoxox
mrs. sleeper
this is my first post! woohoo!
i have thought about this and pondered the how and when of this for years...and now, within a couple of minutes on a friday night, here i am. blogging!
so, now the what! the meat of this blog is gonna focus on adding magic to meals and finding magic in the moment, making magic out of the ordinary and sharing magic with those you love. . . i love magic!
so first, food...tonight mr. sleeper has added some sleeper's magic rub "original" to fresh shrimp. i cannot wait to taste it. first, because i am starved! and second because i have been cutting back on the carbs after a "magical holiday" culinary binge of cookies and champagne...
back to the shrimp...when i eat shrimp it always makes me feel naughty...like i am sneaking a treat! decadently! richly!
oh, there's the call. gotta go. i will let you know how bad i was later...
xoxox
mrs. sleeper
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