recipe | lovely lemon pound cake

luscious lemon loveliness... While rummaging through my refrigerator yesterday, I can across two pints of soon-be-to-expiring sour cream. Well, we can't have that, can we? After peeking around the rest of my fridge, I decided some baking needed to be done and it needed to involve sour cream, lemons and strawberries... why? Because it sounds just yummy and Spring-like.

So into the kitchen I went to bake a lemon poundcake. The result was an experience in both aromatic and tastebud bliss. While baking, the soft, subtle tang of lemon wafted throughout our home tantalizing us of tastes to come. To complement the tartness of the lemon, I served each slice with a healthy dollop of macerated strawberries. Even my six-year-old ate it, as he talked nonstop in between huge bites of how he doesn't like things with lemon. He talked so much about it, he didn't realize he ate his finished his cake until he went for another bite and noticed his plate was empty.

This recipe came from a posting by Annettia Mounger on allrecipes.com. My only note to add is that my cooking time took quite a bit longer... like by 15-20 minutes but that could be just my stove. To macerate the strawberries, simply cut into slices, place in bowl, sprinkle with sugar and let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Lemon Lover's Pound Cake

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

5 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon lemon extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups sour cream

ICING:

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice, peel and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat just until combined.

Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For icing, in a small mixing bowl, beat the sour cream and butter until blended. Gradually add confectioners' sugar. Beat in lemon juice and peel. Drizzle over the cake. Store in the refrigerator.

frugal fun | vintage treasures under $10

this could lead to a dangerous addiction... I was looking around the other day for a cool idea for a planter when I stumbled upon some vintage flour sifters. Immediately I was smitten and before I realized what I was doing, I found myself on Ebay bidding on four sifters from the '30s-'50s. Before you knew it, I moved onto vintage egg baskets and found my fancy in the cool basket shown here. A complete deal for only $5.

I figured now that we're getting chickens, of course we'd need an egg basket. This one is pretty sweet. It's handles fold over so it stands rigid on the floor, but then it also completely collapses for flat storage. When opened, the basket easily holds three dozen eggs. A total find!

Places like Ebay and Etsy can be dangerous grounds for those of us who are looking for frugal finds loaded with great personality. Just check out the seed sack above. This little pretty will be bringing cheer to my walls for only $8.

The designer in me could not pass up these flour sifters. The color combination alone is reason enough to buy. The smaller sifter has been transform into my new favorite pencil holder. The larger one's destiny is still open... though a basil plant is currently eyeing it up.

Though not terribly practical or needed, these little finds have definitely added fun (and history) to our home and a smile to my face. Sometimes that is reason enough.

daily photo | happy earth day

april 22, 2010 | merry earth day!

daily photo | lovely lichen

april 19, 2010 | lovely lichen dots a graphic punch across our stone walls

recipe | fudge drops

a baking kind of day... So with it snowing out and a fire going in the woodstove, it seems only fitting that something should be baking in the oven. I was flipping through my stack of King Arthur recipes this morning when I came across this recipe for Fudge Drops. Admittedly, one of my main reasons for selecting this recipe was the inclusion of espresso powder in the ingredient listing. This is a totally optional addition to this cookie, but I enjoy using espresso powder in my recipes, it adds a lovely depth of flavor. Paired with a tall glass of cold milk, this chocolatey, chewy delight will definitely hit the spot.

Fudge Drops

courtesy of King Arthur Flour

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate


3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter


1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) sugar


3 large eggs


1 teaspoon espresso powder


1 teaspoon vanilla


1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour


1/4 teaspoon baking powder


1/4 teaspoon salt


1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips, optional

In a double boiler, or in the microwave, gently melt together the chocolate and butter. To avoid heating the chocolate too much and possibly burning it, the best method is to heat till the butter is melted and the chocolate has partially melted, then remove from the heat. Stir till all the chocolate melts.



In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs till they're thoroughly combined. Add the hot melted chocolate, then stir in the remaining ingredients, including the chocolate chips, if you're using them. Refrigerate the batter-like dough for 1 hour, to make it easier to handle.



Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, three if you have them.

Drop the cookie dough by tablespoonfuls (about the size of a small ping pong ball) onto the prepared baking sheets. A tablespoon cookie scoop makes this task extremely simple. Leave about 2" between the dough balls, as they'll spread as they bake.

Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, until their tops are shiny and cracked. They won't crack until the very end, so keep a close eye on them; when they're cracked all the way across the top surface, they're just about done. The point is, you want these baked all the way through, but just barely; additional baking will make them crisp rather than chewy.

Remove the cookies from the oven, and top each with a kiss-shaped chocolate, a nonpareil, or a bittersweet chocolate wafer, if desired. Wait 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool.

Yield: about 26 cookies without chips, 30 cookies with chips.

from my window | spring snow

good morning snow... Alrighty, now this seems more like it. I woke up this morning to a wonderland of snow. My poor forsythia's branches droop towards the ground covered in the weight of the snow's blanket. The emerging blooms on the smaller shrubs are looking a tad worse for the wear.

Oddly enough, this little snow storm is the closure that I needed on this winter. The rapid ascent into the early Spring weather just seemed too good to be true. I was so incredibly excited by the warm temperatures that I was so tempted to get a jump on this summer's garden, but alas, timing never allowed and no seeds were planted. Now, with this last snow (hopefully) of the season, I can turn my attention fully to the fruits of spring and plant in confidence of warmer days ahead. Now to go unpack the winter coats!

garden | who needs a lawn

who needs a lawn... When you can have more gardens? Each Spring, I head out to the garden and do the same thing...I start yanking out sods of grass to expand on my current beds or to create new beds. But here is the thing, I never go out there with the intention of doing it. Honestly, I head out there to weed or sow seeds, but early each gardening season, before I do that, I grab that pitch shovel and edger and expand upon my ever growing beds.

My viewpoint is that you can never have too many garden beds. It is simply impossible. My husband however, does not quite see it like that. He fears that I'll take over the little lawn we have left. We're fortunate enough to have a few acres of land, but a good 85-90% of our land is woods. I've already transformed a good majority of our lawn with gardens, so my husband is desperately trying to guard the little bit that remains.

The sun's setting light cascaded the garlic shoots in a gorgeous warm glow. This year's garlic is around 2-3 weeks further ahead in their growth than last years at this time. It's been pretty wild to see how much faster Spring has unfolded this year.

I was hoping to get some plants out into the garden this weekend, but the weather is looking less than pleasant. I have to remind myself that it is still only April. So, until then, I'll focus on my seedlings and dream of warm, sunny days ahead. Happy gardening!

recipe | homemade english muffins

top of the muffin to you... I have been wanting to try my hand at baking up some English muffins for over a year now. I used the excuse that I didn't have any baking rings as to why I haven't baked a batch yet, but truth-be-told, I think it stems more with the lack of preplanning. The recipe I wanted to use requires a starter, and well, I always have good intentions when it comes to starters and you know how effective good intentions are. But there is something about the happy nook and crannies that cradle the tiny pools of butter and jelly that is too good to wait any longer to try.

My order from the Baker's Catalogue arrived yesterday and in it was my long awaited muffin baking rings. The wait was over and my good intentions finally came through as I prepped my starter with plenty of time to spare. I actually only had eight baking rings and my recipe was for 12 muffins so I went freeform on four of the muffins. Ironically, I actually preferred the casual shape of the freeformed muffins over the perfect forms of the baking ring muffins. The ring-formed muffins were gorgeous, but I'm not used to making things so uniformed. Regardless, the results were absolutely delicious! Enjoy!

English Muffins

from King Arthur's Flour Baking Companion

makes 10-12 muffins

starter

1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup water

1/8 tsp instant yeast

dough

1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar or non-diastatic malt powder

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp butter, melted

3/4 cup milk, warm

1-2 tbsp cornmeal, for sprinkling on pan

making the starter... Mix the flour, water, and yeast in a medium-sized bowl to form a smooth batter. Cover and leave at room temperature for at least four hours, or up to 16 hours. The starter should be puffy and full of holes when ready to use.

making the dough... In a large mixing bowl, beat together the starter and all the dough ingredients to form a smooth batter. The batter needs to be beaten for 5 to 8 minutes. Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot until batter has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

prepping for baking... Lightly grease 10 to 12 English muffin rings and place the rings on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet that has been sprinkled lightly with cornmeal. If you do not have rings, simply drop the batter onto the pan and shape with your fingers.

Stir the dough then drop a scant 1/4 cup of dough into each ring. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Smooth the dough, if desired, with your fingers, dipped in water first. Cover the pan and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until the muffins have grown by at least a third.

baking... Preheat the oven to 350ºF. If you used muffin rings, place a clean baking sheet atop the muffins, which keeps them flat on both sides so they will fit better in the toaster slot. Bake the muffins for 35 minutes, until they are lightly browned on both sides. The muffins may be fork-split and eaten immediately or cool completely, split and toast.

from my window | benign neglect and the african violet

this is Flo... Before I moved into the woods, I was apartment-living right in the heart of Portland. For years I cultivated various house plants. Everything from an Asparagus Fern, to a Rosary Vine, to Lime Geraniums. You name it, I tried to grow it. The only complete failure I had over all those years was the African Violet. Though I tried several times, I never had one survive too long. Maybe it was because I cared for them too much. I mean you go to your local home store and you'll find special African Violet planting mixes or African Violet food/soil supplements. Compared to all of my other plants, these African Violets were high maintenance to say the least.

While I struggled through a losing battle with this plant, my mother sang the praises of Flo... the African Violet that sat on my parent's kitchen table in their summer farmhouse. Flo was, and continues to be, the most amazing African Violet ever. She has thrived for 24 years on complete benign neglect. 24 years! She would sit on that kitchen table for months straight without any water before my parents would return and finally quench her thirst. And all this talk of special soil... Flo is planted in pretty much ten tablespoons of dirt and has never had a repotting ever.

When my parents left Maine, I inherited my mother's beloved Flo. For years when we talked on the phone, my mom would often ask how Flo was doing. She always said that her favorite part of coming up to the farmhouse was opening the door and being greeted by Flo's beautiful flowers. Today, whenever I gaze at Flo, I think of my mom and smile.

weekly wine walk | spring has sprung

spring has sprung... I happily got to partake in a much needed wine walk (sans wine) today when I got home from work. I am still in complete disbelief that it is only April 5th in Maine and it looks like mid-May. It is dumbfounding. I haven't seen a spring like this since I moved to Maine 16 years ago.

Comparing last year's growth of the garlic and the bloom of the forsythia and it is evident that we are a few weeks ahead this spring. I keep waiting to take full glee in this weather, but hesitate for fear that there is some surprise snowstorm waiting around the corner. Now that we are in April, the chances of that are slimming, but we're still not out of the woods quite yet.

daily photo | happy easter bunny

april 4, 2010 | happy easter, bunny!

raising chickens | step one

Bock! Bock!... I can't believe we finally did it, but we did. Today, I picked up the phone and placed our order for spring chicks at the local farmer's union. For years, my husband and I talked about raising chickens for eggs, but we never took it to the actual reality of doing it. Then this morning, we looked at each other and decided that we were ordering the chicks today. No more hemming and hawing over every possible pro and con. Come this May, we will adopt into our family six new friends. We'll have a Buff Orpington, a Black Australorps, a White Plymouth Rocks, an Araucanas, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, and finally a New Hampshire Red Rooster. I can't wait!

We're lucky to know several folks who have been raising hens for years, so we've been chatting with them for months and haven't heard a negative word yet when it comes to raising chickens. The boys are excited too. It will be invaluable for them to learn more about where the foods they eat come from. Now to design a coop!