Baking With My Bridesmaids

This past weekend was Steph's bridal shower and bachelorette party. On Friday Whitney flew in from Washington and we met up with Steph and Gina for some cocktails and to see Bridesmaids (we figured this was an appropriate way to start the weekend). 

Steph, Gina, me, Whitney

This movie is absolutely hilarious and I highly recommend seeing it! It was fun seeing it with Steph because throughout the movie she kept saying - oh that is so me...oh that is so you! 

Source

On Saturday we went to Steph's shower, which was hosted by her parents at a great restaurant in Bedford. The food was fantastic (highlights were purple mashed potatoes and an ice cream and cookie bar for dessert) and it was wonderful to have so many of the important women in Steph's life together. In addition to shower gifts, all of the bridesmaids gave Steph a joint gift - a cookbook, apron and some heart-shaped measuring spoons. It wasn't just any cookbook - it was a cookbook I put together on Snapfish. We called it Baking With My Bridesmaids and it was full of pictures of Steph with all of her bridesmaids. Each bridesmaid also had her own page with pictures and a recipe. 

Steph looking through the cookbook in her new apron

I got the idea from a shower I went to last weekend and thought it was great. Its really nice to have something made especially for you, and this is a gift that Steph can keep in her kitchen and will think of all of us when she uses. Steph really loved this book - I think its a fun idea to give for bridal or baby showers, college graduation, birthdays, etc. 

Steph and 9/10 of her bridesmaids at the shower:

 

My mom and me at the shower:

 

After the shower we went to set up the suite at the Park Plaza Hotel while the maid of honor distracted Steph. Among the decorations were a clothesline full of new "undergarments" ...

...and that's probably all that is appropriate enough for this cooking and running blog!

After dinner and drinks in the room we made our first stop at Flash's.

We then made our way to Liquor Store.

Next we went to The Estate.

And we ended the night at Whiskey Park. By that point it was too late for a group shot. 

We had a scavenger hunt with a long list of things Steph needed to do and find throughout the night. I'm not going to spoil it by writing the whole list, but here are a few highlights:

Making a veil out of toilet paper.

Ballet dancing with a stranger.

Make fart noises with your armpit for a guy that buys you a drink.

It was a great day and great night! Both the shower and the bachelorette were a lot of fun. I can't wait for Steph's wedding in July!

Mother's Day Cake

Happy Mother's Day!

What better excuse to try a new cake? I saw Ina Garten make this on her cooking show last week and decided that I needed to try it ASAP. Its a gorgeous cake that looks like it would require several difficult steps, but it was really quite quick and easy to put together. A candy thermometer would be a helpful tool, but don't worry if you don't own one. I don't have one so I eye-balled it instead and was very happy with the results!

Peel, core and slice a granny smith apple. Arrange the slices in a pie dish.

Heat a small saucepan with 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water over high heat. It will come to a rolling boil - continue to heat until it turns a warm amber color (or if you have a candy thermometer - 360 degrees). Swirl, but don't stir!

Once ready, pour into pie dish over apple slices.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and 3/4 cup sugar.

Mix in eggs, one at a time.

Add vanilla, stir to combine.

Add lemon zest, stir again.

Add sour cream and stir.

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. 

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix only until combined.

Pour batter over caramel and apples. Smooth with a spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes, then invert cake onto a flat plate (put plate over pie dish, then flip over).

You may need to do a little plastic surgery - don't worry, it'll still look great - just replace the apple slices if they fall out.

Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Note that powdered sugar will absorb into cake, so powder just before serving.

Enjoy!

The lovely ladies I spent my Mother's Day with:

Pat's mom, my mom, Pat's aunt Lisa

Apple Cake Tatin

Recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1 granny smith apple
• 1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking poweder
• confectioner's sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Peel, core and slice a granny smith apple. Arrange the slices in a pie dish.
2. Heat a small saucepan with 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water over high heat. It will come to a rolling boil - continue to heat until it turns a warm amber color (or if you have a candy thermometer - 360 degrees). Swirl, but don't stir!
3. Once caramel is ready, pour into pie dish over apple slices.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Cream together butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream - stir to combine.
6. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
7. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix only until combined.
8. Pour batter over caramel and apples. Smooth with a spatula.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
10. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert cake onto a flat plate. 
11. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve!

Quesadillas and Homemade Tortillas

'Twas the night before Cinqo de Mayo, and all through the house...

So last night was Cinqo de Mayo Eve, and I was really craving some Mexican food. Personally, I think this holiday should be celebrated for a full week. Or maybe once a month. Thoughts? Anyhow, I had all of the ingredients to make some quesadillas (grilled chicken, bell peppers, onions, cheese, salsa, sour cream)...EXCEPT for the tortillas. It was pouring out, and I'll already made the trek to get some amazing bread and go to the gym, so I really didn't feel like going out again. And then I remembered something! Jim's lovely girlfriend Kristi gave me her family's recipe for homemade tortillas a couple months ago. I'd been carrying it around in my wallet, but hadn't made them yet. No time like the present, right?

I was relieved to see that I had all of the ingredients the recipe called for.

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat (don't add any oil).

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Then add the shortening and warm water.

Mix well (I used my hands) until a dough forms. Add a little extra warm water if necessary.

Separate the dough into small balls and roll out into circles with a rolling pin. I sprayed the rolling pin with cooking spray before rolling out the first ball and then didn't use any more after that (I probably didn't even need to do this at all).

Once your pan is heated, place a tortilla in it and cook until done (about 1 1/2 minutes) then flip and cook until done on the other side (less than a minute). Repeat with all of your tortillas!

I only made a quarter recipe because I didn't know how they'd come out. I immediately wished that I'd made more - fresh tortillas taste so much better than store bought!

Kristi's Tortillas

Serves 8-12

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp shortening
• 1-1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions

1. Heat a cast iron skillet (or flat pan) oven medium heat.
2. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk together. Add shortening and warm water and mix well with hands until dough forms.
3. Separate dough into small balls and roll into circles with rolling pin.
4. Put tortilla on pan until cooked on one side (about 1 1/2 minutes) then flip and cook on other side (less than one minute). Repeat until all of your tortillas are cooked!

And then I got to making my quesadillas...you guys know the drill.

Saute your fillings (I chose multi-colored bell peppers, onions and chicken).

Put tortilla on skillet (still heated over medium) and load up with cheese first and then fillings (I didn't have shredded cheese but I did have Cabot extra sharp cheddar which is my favorite).

Cook until cheese is melted, fold in half and cook briefly on other side.

And there you have it - a quesadilla on homemade tortilla!

Pile with any other toppings you like - salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, etc, and enjoy!

I made one for myself and one for Pat. When Pat took his first bite a big smile spread across his face (this is when I know I've done well). He said it was so good that it didn't even need salsa, and he's a self-proclaimed toppings fiend!

Happy Cinqo de Mayo!!