Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State
Fairy Cakes
I am not sure why, but I have always had troubles making cupcakes. I can make them, sure, but I couldn’t make them taste good. And then I found Nigella. I am sorry that lately this has been turning into a Nigella-Fancying blog, but does it matter? She makes delicious food that is easy (not that I don’t mind a challenge now and again).
Robb and I were trying to decide what to bring for our community group’s potluck and cupcakes just happened to be the first thing to pop into my mind. (Not to mention, I happened to have the ingredients already). I have mentioned that Madison does not have a cupcake shoppe like my favourite one in Seattle. So I have been deprived lately of a delicious treat.
Now the best thing about these cupcakes (from How to be a Domestic Goddess) is that you can make them in your food processor. I accidently didn’t let the butter soften enough and had to blitz the batter a bit longer than I would have liked. Somehow, even with my overmixing the cupcakes turned out fantastic. (Usually when you overmix cupcake or muffin batter it will form an unwanted peak on top and have a chewy texture because the overmixing causes gluten formation).
For the topping, I made my favourite quick frosting from The Joy of Cooking but instead of adding milk, I used the zest and juice from one orange. They turned out perfect, as you can see.
Fresh Cheese Curds and Spring Garlic
When we moved to Madison we were informed that the Dane County Farmers Market (held each Saturday on the Capitol Square) was something we couldn’t miss. This year we were able to attend the market on the opening day. (During the winter and other colder months, the market still occurs but meets indoors). After meeting up with some fellow Madison Tweeters (@TonyWalla & his lovely wife @macwidow) for coffee and pastries at L’Etoile’s Cafe Soleil (yum!) we walked around the market in search of ramps (baby leeks found in the early spring). I guess everyone else found them before we did (it was only 9 am when we began the search). We ended up finding spring garlic which was just as good. The vendor told us that these were delicious raw as part of a salad (which we enjoyed that night) but also as part of a melted cheese sandwich (which we enjoyed for lunch):
I Don’t Like Cake
Well, that is no longer true because I discovered that I like the cake that I make. Recently we have celebrated some birthdays so I thought I might share with you my cakes:
Jeremiah’s Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
I made Nigella Lawson’s recipe for her Sour Cream Chocolate Cake (from How to Be A Domestic Goddess) for Jeremiah’s birthday. At first I halved the recipe but soon realized that to be a proper cake I needed to make both layers. I have been told by my fans that this cake was unbelievably good. I was a bit disappointed because the cake was a bit dry, but nothing I can touch up next time.
Anne’s White on White Cake
Anne is traditional when it comes to her cake of choice. White on white. I turned to my trusty Joy of Cooking to find the ultimate white cake recipe. For this, I halved the recipe (which called for three 8-inch layers), and baked a single (but very plump) layer and dressed it with a simple white icing. Can we say delicious? (Yes).
Kim’s Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
Kim is a child at heart. She loves her ice cream cone cupcakes. I caved and bought the Betty Crocker mix instead of making my own batter, but I did make a simple icing that we dyed pretty spring-time colours. But now let me tell you that Betty Crocker is not that intelligent when it comes to how to bake the cups. I followed her directions to a T (for the first dozen). She tells us to “Place ice cream cone upside down on batter in each cup.” If you do this, you end up with a very small mound of baked cake at the top of the cone. I followed my intuition and baked the cones right side up in a muffin tin and they filled the cone from the top to the bottom with wonderful cake-y goodness.
Nigella’s Cranberry Upsidedown Cake (from How to Be A Domestic Goddess)
Now I think Nigella used a smaller, less sloped cast iron pan in her recipe but it still tasted delicious. (If you remember our trip to the Cranberry Festival last year, I used some of our remaining — frozen — berries for this cake). Once again our fans thoroughly enjoyed this tasty treat.
Nigella’s Chocolate Cloud Cake
A few weeks ago I stumbled across a site with all the episodes from Nigella’s various TV shows. I was particularly interested in her adapatdation of a flourless chocolate cake. Typically flourless cakes tend to be small and dense (delicious, still). Nigella uses egg whites (whipped) to add extra volume and lightness to the finished cake. No wonder why it’s so delicious.
Note, this photo was taken directly after pulling the cake out of the oven. After it cooled, the center sank (as it is suposed to) and we dolloped fresh whipped cream in the center and enjoyed!
Chicago
“Put Sufjan Stevens on, and we’ll play your favorite song,
Chicago bursts to life in your sweet smile remembers you
My hands open and my eyes open, I just keep hoping that your heart opens.”
Snow Patrol | Hands Open
This past weekend Robb and I went to Chicago to celebrate Easter. No longer having a home church, we decided to treat ourselves to visiting our friend’s old home church, Covenant Presbyterian Church of Chicago, located in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. What a treat, indeed! First of all, we fell in love with the neighborhood. If we ever move to Chicago, you now know where you can find us. The church meets in an incredibly beautiful building [photos] — formerly All Saints Catholics Church. It reminds me of the cathedrals in Europe. A three-story high alter, two balconies, two-story high stain glass windows. Not to mention the acoustics. It was such a joy to worship God in a glorious building with a wonderful choir and band. Pastor Aaron Baker preached a wonderful Easter sermon from John 20:11-18 when Jesus asks Mary Magdalene, who is crying over the Jesus’ empty tomb, “Who are you seeking?” Thank you Covenant for a wonderful service.
Now, we did not go to Chicago only for Easter. We caught wind of Damien Jurado’s upcoming concert at Schubas (the same venue we saw Rosie Thomas). Not to mention, the following night William Fitzsimmons was going to be playing. We have seen both of these artists in concert before, but I must tell you, the concerts at Schubas are some of the best we have ever been to. The venue is small and intimate (we actually sat on folding chairs). Damien (from Seattle) and William (from Southern Illinois) encouraged the audience to participate — asking questions, singing along, and requesting some songs. If you have ever listened to their songs before, you will know that they sing rather depressing songs. Their personalities (as we got to enjoy on Friday and Saturday nights) are quite contrary to their lyrics. I think we laughed the hardest when Damien was telling us of situation when a guy told him after one of his shows that he thought Damien was going to snap during the show and “stab someone.” Shortly after we had all laughed about this, a gentleman in the front row of our concert got up and walked to the back of the room and Damien exclaimed, “Where do you think you’re going! I’m gonna’ stab you!” The poor gentleman, as I was informed later, was quite shocked and embarrassed as he walked out of the room. Needless to say, most of us were caught in fits of laughter. If you have not encountered Damien or William before, I encourage you to take the time to listen to their music. Both write lyrics in the form (most of the time) of first person, fictional narratives. Another noteworthy musician is Laura Gibson (hailing from Portland) who opened for Damien.
Laura Gibson
Damien Jurado
William Fitzsimmons
We spent Saturday walking around downtown (our hotel was actually right on the corner of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan), taking photos of the beautifully tall buildings and city life, and (of course) shopping.
The Bean
Navy Pier and the Chicago River
Late in the afternoon when we were about to drop from exhaustion, I spied the American Girls Store. Seriously! When I was 8, my mom gave me the catalogue (back when only Molly, Kirsten and Samantha were the only dolls) and told me that this was my Dream Book. On my 10th birthday I received a Molly doll. As a tribute, we had walk around the store and see how much it had changed (I think they retired Samantha!).
Ducks and Daisies
Five years after graduating from dear ol’ Cottey-C, I have joined the P.E.O. Sisterhood. As you might remember I visited one of Madison’s local chapters in September. They since invited me to join and now I am officially a P.E.O. My own pin is on it’s way, but they presented me a lovely bouquet of Marguerites:
