Spinning and Cupcakes

Last weekend we spent four days in Paris on a spur-of-the-moment trip. It was even more beautiful than I'd imagined it would be, and I'm still organizing the pics! More on that in a future post.

Yesterday, I had a few spinning friends over to play (Rachel, Dina, Gina, and Jillian). Most of us have children, and they all kept each-other occupied for a good deal of the time. Most importantly, we created a new spinner! My friend Jillian has been wanting to learn, and her husband is buying her a wheel for Christmas. The get-together was set up in part so that she could try out wheels and get a feel for things.

Here she is, spinning for the very first time, with Rachel's guidance.


It's always interesting to watch other people spin. Similar to watching other people knit -- I always learn something from checking out someone else's technique. (Jillian is actually very happy and excited in this picture, but that's the serious look of deep concentration.)


Dina and Gina.



Ever since I started reading the Cupcake Bakeshop blog, I've been looking for an excuse to use one of her recipes (her photographs make me feel like I could just reach out and eat one!). I finally got the chance!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting


I knew that I would love them, but I wasn't sure how they'd go over with everyone else, especially the children.

I shouldn't have worried. (Dina's daughter "Nugget" on left, Rachel and "K" on right.)

Topped with a square of salted caramel and a sprinkle of Fleur De Sel


I baked up half of Chockylit's recipe which supposedly should have given me only a dozen cupcakes, but even after overfilling the muffin cups (resulting in flat topped confections), I still turned out 15. I'm pretty sure I could have gotten 24 if I'd filled them half-way, like I usually do. Next time I'll make a little more frosting too -- I piped generous swirls out of a plastic bag (Ziploc bag with the corner snipped open), and ran just a little short. Here's the halved recipe that I used -- the only changes are that I've taken out the "gluten free" half of it (full credit to Cupcake Bakeshop):

Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting:

Cupcakes
18 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3-1/2 ounces (100 grams) Valrhona 85% cacao (or any bittersweet chocolate)
1-1/2 sticks (171.5 grams) butter
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons (222.5 grams) sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (90 grams) flour, all purpose
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Chop the chocolate and transfer into the bowl of a standing mixer.
2. Add the butter to the chocolate and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate melts and the butter is combined.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
4. Measure out the flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt into a small bowl.
5. Transfer the cooled chocolate/butter mixture to the electric mixer and beat for 3 minutes.
6. Add one egg at a time, mixing for 10 seconds between each.
7. Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
8. Scoop into cupcake cups only 2/3s full. Bake all the cupcakes at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Note: If the oven is not hot enough than these cupcakes may over-flow. One way to be safe is to either fill 2/3’s full or another trick I use is to preheat to 375, then drop the heat to 350 once I put the cupcakes in. I also rotate the pans after 15 minutes of baking. It is safe to gently move them at that point and I find the lower back of my oven to be a bit cooler.

Salted Caramel

2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

1. Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the sugar is incorporated.
3. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
5. Do not stir from this point on, but it is important to carefully shake the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.
6. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
7. *** This is the dangerous part *** Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Wear oven mitts, stand away from the pan, and be careful. The mixture will bubble up significantly.
8. Put the mixture back on the heat, and stir, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
9. Measure 1/2 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes.

Note: There was a small bit of extra caramel that I poured onto a small plate that I covered in aluminum foil and greased with vegetable oil. I transferred the plate to the freezer for about 30 minutes. I chopped the caramel quickly into squares (its starts to get soft) and topped each cupcake with a square.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1 stick butter
4 ounces or 1/2 package of Philly cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup salted caramel

1. Bring butter to room temperature by letting it sit out for 1 or 2 hours.
2. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
3. Add 1/2 cup of the salted caramel and beat to combine.
4. Sift powdered sugar a little at a time into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine. (Taste as you mix and add more or less to suite your specifications)
5. Chill to thicken up, if needed.

Assembly
1. Frost cooled cupcakes with a generous amount of frosting.
2. Sprinkle each cupcake with sea, kosher salt, or Fleur De Sel.
3. Top with a caramel candy, homemade or otherwise.

Saarbruken

On Saturday, we spent the day in Saarbruken. Greg has been there several times to see some rock shows, and knows his way around a little. In every centralized town or city here in Germany, there is a shopping district with cobblestone "foot traffic only" streets, and Saarbruken has a nice large one with lots of cool stores and restaurants.

Double fountains at the beginning of the shopping area


A rock thing in the center of one of the walking streets served as a sort of "slide" for a bunch of children



Police car ride outside of the toy store


Lions statues that we couldn't figure out the meaning of




We found a good use for them though

We ate at an Asian Bistro, which served Thai and Chinese food. It was pretty good and very reasonably priced.

Lavella delivers a knock-out punch (notice her handspun, handknit sweater)

Of course, as always, there was ice cream. This particular Eis Salon had the best ice cream that I've had in Germany so far.

Elijah got Pistachio and Greg got Vanilla and Green Apple (complete with tiny bits of unpeeled Granny Smith apple)


Andrew ordered Blood Orange, which was perfectly delicate and floral, tasting exactly like a perfectly ripe blood orange. I got a Nuss Becher, which has one scoop of each of their four "milch eis" (milk-based ice creams), which ended up being vanilla, pistachio, hazelnut and chocolate. It was topped with tiny nut clusters, un-sweet whipped cream and drizzled with a creamy liqueur.

Up until this point, I haven't really liked any of the milk-based ice creams here in Germany, because they're just not as creamy as American ones, and Vanilla usually ends up being touched with a lemon taste, which to me is no good. The fruit based ones are always good though, tasting of pure, perfect fruit, which I will miss when we move back. Anyway, everything that we had at this cafe was delicious, and my new favorite ice cream shop.

A new hat and some tasty bread

Lavella has grown out of all of the hats I knit her before she was born. Her hair, however, has not grown much at all. Even though it hasn't been that cold out, the early fall air is just a bit chill for her tender head, so I knit her this new hat yesterday:


I loved how she looks in purple.

I had embroidered bubbles on it, but then when I tried it on Lavella's head, the hat was a little too big, and has to be folded up for now. The bubbles got lost in the folded brim, so I'll have to save that idea for a later date.

A few days ago, I found this recipe for Potato Parmesan Bread over at food blog, Baking Bites. I've always loved potato bread, and had to give it a try.

Starch from mashed potato feeds the yeast, giving it an extra boost for a nice airy loaf.

I made a few changes by adding Vital Wheat Gluten and some extra butter, substituted Romano for the Parmesan, bread flour for the all-purpose, used two red boiling potatoes instead of the one russet, used the cooking water from the potatoes, and heated the milk. I divided it unto two loaves instead of one, which allowed me to cut the baking time. I set the loaves on parchment covered baking sheets to rise, which I then slid onto a preheated baking stone to bake. All changes are reflected in my adapted recipe, below.

Happily, the bread rose high and lofty, with a moist interior. The cheese adds a surprisingly subtle note and lingers just a bit on the aftertaste, and the bread is equally good plain, or with butter and jam.

I would like to experiment with substituting cheddar, and adding some whole wheat to make this a little hardier. Bulgar wheat would also add a nice crunch -- I might try that as well.



Romano Potato Bread

2 red boiling potatoes (or enough potato to equal 1 cup when mashed. Potato flakes = OK)
4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
1 cup milk, heated to about 110-115 deg. (low fat is fine)
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup potato water (reserved from water drained from cooking potatoes. Add extra water if needed)
1 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten
4-5 cups bread flour
1 cup Romano cheese, grated
1 egg + 2 tbsp water (for egg wash)

Peel potato and cut into small, even chunks. Boil potato pieces in a small saucepan until tender. Drain and reserve cooking liquid and completely mash potato (a ricer works well here, or you can force through a fine strainer) until smooth. Transfer potato to a large mixing bowl and stir in butter and milk, mixing until well combined. Mixture should be between 110 and 115 degrees, or the yeast will not activate properly.

Stir active dry yeast and sugar into the potato mixture. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until mixture is slightly foamy. Add in salt, water, Vital Wheat Gluten and 3 cups of flour. Mix until smooth, either stirring with a wooden spoon or using the dough hook attachment on an electric stand mixer. Stir in Romano cheese and gradually add in additional flour in 1/4 cup increments until dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If using an electric mixer, continue to knead at medium speed for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. If mixing by hand, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with waxed paper or damp towel and let rise for 45-60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

TIP > If you live in a low-humidity environment, have dry heat in the house, or just want to aid rising process: heat oven on very low and then turn off. Place dough in a heat proof bowl and put in center rack of oven, covered by waxed paper or towel. Place a pan or bowl of boiling hot water in bottom of oven. Steam + gentle heat speeds the growth of the yeast.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Cut in two. Shape into two long, oval loaves and place on a parchment-lined (or generously sprinkled with cornmeal) baking sheet. Cover with a clean dish towel, and let rise for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F, with large baking stone inside, if using.

Stir together egg and water with a fork and lightly brush mixture over the risen loaves.
If using parchment paper, slide onto hot stone in center of oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until bread is a dark golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. An internal read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf will read 195-200F.

Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool.
Cool completely before slicing. (Or don't, but it won't slice as neatly.)

Makes 2 medium sized loaves.

Oh the random things you will see...

This is my latest favorite read in blogland:
Cupcake Bakeshop
She's got beautiful pictures, interesting recipes, and her site is easily searchable! (Check out her right-hand sidebar) Her latest is Sweet Corn, Maple and Bacon Cupcakes.

The other day I had to bring in groceries, so I left Lavella with Andrew. When I came back, I found him reading to her.




Last week Lavella cut her first tooth and had her first "solid food":

Really, she just chewed on this carrot, but it counts, right?

I'm blond again.




The boys got haircuts:

(They're modeling my latest pair of socks in progress -- rainbow colored yarn that is dyed to stripe itself while I knit)


I found Elijah inside the refridgerator yesterday, looking for grenadine.

"I need the wed (red) stuff"

Greg, in his Apocolypto pose:

Greg decided that the inside of these truffles were the only good part. He chilled them, then cracked the chocolate coating open with the side of a butcher knife, and re-wrapped all of the fillings.

True story.

Lavella, who is now five months old, was helping Jillian out with the laundry.

She's almost strong enough to start thinking about sitting up on her own now.

Eis Cafe!

We went out for ice cream for Andrew's birthday (Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Bob sent him a check for his birthday, and a little bit of that went towards this -- he says "thank you!")



I got a Marsala Becher, which is a few different kinds of ice cream with Marsala poured over the top. Tastes a lot like the Italian custard dessert, Zabaglione.

Greg got his favorite kind of becher, Kiwi.

Wrapping it up

Ok, so I've been blogging all of the trip pictures at a painfully slow pace. But the trouble is, I've been having rather rough days lately for various reasons, and just haven't had the extra energy for blogging. In the interest of getting all the pics on here so that I can proceed to blog in "real" time, here are the last three collages -- all from our visit down the shore. (Clicking will take you to the gallery for that particular set, in case you want more details or care to download any.)

On one of the crazy windy, rainy days, we decided to go to a lighthouse. It has a long pier, which some of the braver among us ventured out on. (Just to clear things up, Lavella and I were not among the brave.) My gosh it was cold. Notice my dad (in bottom right corner) trying to make due without hat or hoodie. He was the one who told us to pack for cold weather. Hmm.


After freezing at the lighthouse, the only logical stop was an ice cream stand.

I've never met anyone like Joy. I don't suppose anyone ever has.

Finally, the last day we were there was (sort of) warm enough to visit the beach. Some of us actually swam (I dipped my toes in and when they instantly turned to ice I decided not to be one of them.) All in all, we had a sandy good time.


Well my friends, that wraps up the trip pictures. Thank you once again to Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Bob for hosting us, and to Aunt Terry for letting us stay there for a few days as well.

Missing you all! Much love, hugs and kisses.

Tuckerton

On one of the rainy, cold days down the shore, we went to visit the Tuckerton Museum/fisherman's village:


I don't think that it was supposed to be as interactive as we made it, but we did have a lot of fun, and we didn't break anything, so it was a successful day, I think.

(Click the collage for gallery and more details.)

Down the shore

In the third week of August, my three Littles and I went with my parents and most of the siblings down the shore to visit Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Bob and their gorgeous new house. Well, I guess they've had it for about a year now or so, but I'd never seen it, so it was new to me.

I loved their new layout, the decor, and the way that they incorporated old pieces that I remember always seeing in Aunt Mary Ann's former condo into the new one.

They were very gracious hosts, and somehow found a place for each of us to sleep. We had intended to spend a good deal of time at the beach to try and stay out of their hair during the day, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate with that plan. I have more pictures of things that we ended up doing instead, but here are shots taken inside the house.


Click on the picture to go to the gallery for more info.

Uncle Bob said that Lavella reminds him of his daughter as a baby; the two of them hit it off quite well, as you can see in the top of the collage.

Aunt Mary Ann -- so sorry that I didn't get more shots of you! I only realized it after we'd left and I was sorting through them all. You do make a cameo appearance in the third picture down from the top on the left. Whoops!

Thank you so much to Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary Ann for a beautiful get-away, fun visiting, incredible food, meeting cousins that we never knew we had, and for agreeing to have us all. I don't know if you'll want take us in full force again in the future, but we certainly had a wonderful time.

All kinds of fun

Well, I think that we might be finally over our jet lag. Since I can read the clock, I was able to figure out what should be day and night. The boys, on the other hand, weren't waking up in the morning until I got them out of bed. Tempting as it was to let them sleep until they saw fit, it wasn't a good way to get us back on schedule. I started getting them up at around 9am, and now Elijah's back to his usual 7:30 business. Sadly. I was really hoping that he'd just rewire himself to the later time, but no such luck.

Since I have so many pictures to blog about from our trip, I'm going to start today with a collage of misc stuff from all different parts of the trip that didn't fit in anywhere else. (Click for the gallery that this set belongs to.)



The top four pics are from Joy's birthday. Hannah, Grace, Joy and I went out together to Dinosaur BBQ to celebrate. There was much good food, dancing, and Lavella missed the entire event (check out her face in the second photo down from the top). If you're ever within driving distance of the joint, you must check it out. The food is fabulous, the service good and quick, and prices are low. I love it!

Next are from when Caleb was at my parents. He managed to squeeze in a one week visit with us, and the boys had lots of fun running around outside, climbing trees, wrestling and playing football with him.

Right in the middle there are some shots from our morning of blueberry picking. So much fun! While the boys napped later on that day, my mom and I made blueberry muffins, blueberry shortcake, and blueberry...something. I can't remember. Tasty!

The blurry "concept" photo is Sean, performing as bass guitarist in his band, "losing.fate". Hannah, Caleb, Grace and I went to see them do a show at Magic City Music Hall.

One row up from the bottom is our visit with Aunt Terry and Grandma Annette. Lavella was a little doll and let herself get hugged and squeezed by everyone. Aunt Terry won big points with the boys by giving them a bunch of dinosaurs, "shooting cars", and ice cream bars. They talk about her fondly.

Bottom left are the socks that I started spinning the yarn for in the week after Lavella was born, and finally finished up on the way home from Aunt Mary Ann's and Uncle Bob's beach house.

Birthday guy!

We're home! We arrived back in Germany at 6:30 last night, and finally got to our house at around 10:30 or so. It was a long trip back, and I'm just glad that it's done. We had a wonderful visit back in the states with friends and family, and I've got tons of pictures that I've been uploading to my Flickr account, but I'll blog about all of that in chunks. There's way too much to catch up on for one post.

I feel like this was one of the best visits that I've ever had with my younger siblings, especially. Between cherry pipes shared with Christopher and Joel, cuddling out on the porch on a chilly evening with Grace and Joy, interesting talks with Caleb, visiting the biker bar Hannah works at, cooking with my mom, hanging out with my dad, and doing a little shopping with Rachel, I feel like there was a lot of life that happened, packed into those four weeks. I even got to hang out with Grandma Claire a few times -- she has the shopping stamina of 10 women! We also got to see some of the Roselle side of the family in NJ, and had a lovely time.

But for today, first things first -- it's Andrew's 4th birthday!

We are so glad to be back home with Greg. We've all missed him so much. Even Lavella has been watching him like she knows who he is with smiles and gurgles and such.

Instead of a cake, I got some big chocolate-dipped cookies from the bakery down the street, and piled some whipped cream next to it. Since Elijah is two and would have been mad otherwise, I put a candle in both of their cookies to blow out.

Happy birthday Andrew!

The children are all in bed now, so it's Mojito time. =)