Tea Bread Tuesday: Gingerbread Cake II

I had promised my husband that I'd make last week's cake again, but without the lemon glaze.  It so happens that my wonderful sister-in-law, Barb, sent me this gingerbread mold for Christmas.  Wow!  Talk about perfect!

Those little guys are delightful!  So moist!  So cute!  So perfect for the season!

Of the six siblings, only three made it out long enough to photograph; the other three must have run away, singing "Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man" . . . or something . . .

Oh, and the bread without the lemon glaze was much more to my family's liking . . . Here's the recipe again . . . Gingerbread Cake

Christmas Eve Part 2: The food, the fam, the gifts . . .

I've been remiss in posting Part 2 of our wonderful Christmas Eve celebration promptly, but I have been a bit distracted with . . . MY BRAND SPANKING NEW KINDLE!!!!!!!!!

I had barely begun warming up to the idea of an e-reader, and voilà!  Santa was listening!  Ho, Ho, Ho to me!

How come no one ever mentioned to me the cool pictures that appear on the cover every time you turn off the Kindle?  It's taking me ten extra minutes staring at the cover before I start reading!  They are so awesome!

Check out this other one . . .

Here's the coolest thing for me so far . . . We've been practicing homeopathy for over 20 years and I'm forever lugging about several reference books to help diagnose symptoms . . . BUT NO MORE!!!!!  I found the books online at a fraction of the cost and weight of the paper versions!

Here it is now!  Right in my very own little Kindle!  Boy, traveling will never be the same again!

Anyway, on to the Christmas Eve menu:

Appetizers

Black Olives

Brie en Croute

Cheddar cheese, fresh fruit

Chicago Flat crackers

Salad of romaine lettuce, cranberries, walnuts and blue cheese crumbles, dressed with a pomegranate-infused balsamic vinaigrette

Roast Pork Shoulder with garlic marinade

Black Bean Soup, Cuban Style

Steamed White Rice

Yuca con Mojo (Casava with garlic-lime marinade)

Dessert

Flan de Leche

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting (made by my sister-in-law, Kathy)

This menu is for garlic lovers.  Cuban cuisine is not spicy hot, but it makes up for it with the garlic!

No self-respecting Cuban would be caught dead without a rice cooker . . .

Or two . . .  Together they made 15 cups of rice . . .

My godson, Scott, and his wife, Jackie, hadn't been with us for the last two years but called us at the last minute to say they were coming.  I was so happy!  They walked in, smelled the garlic, and Scotty promptly said:  "On our way over, I was telling Jackie:  'Boy, she better be making the Cuban dinner!' "  This confirmed my decision to stick to the tried and true menu above and not experiment with new dishes.  It was so nice to relax and enjoy my family without having to worry about fussing in the kitchen . . .

My brother Al and beautiful sister-in-law, Kathy . . .

My boys, John and David with their Mama . . .

My nephews, Colin and Kevin . . .

The whole gang . . .  My battery died just before this picture was taken, so this one was taken with Jackie's point-and-shoot camera propped up on top of four Harry Potter books . . .

It was such a wonderful  night . . .

Christmas Eve Part 1: A Silver and Green Tablescape

But not dark green . . . it had to be sort of a chartreuse green . . .

One of the little boxes that received the "hot glue" treatment . . . They contained Fannie May truffles . . .

The Christmas tree place card holders were a serendipitous find at Crate and Barrel . . . Each guest got to take one home to hang on their tree . . .

The china pattern is Federal Platinum by Lenox . . .

Chargers from Pottery Barn . . . Flatware from our local grocery store bought about 10 years ago in one of those spend-a-million-dollars-and-you-can-have-a-place-setting-for-$2 schemes . . . The napkins are embroidered with our last name initial, a find at Williams-Sonoma . . .

View of the auxiliary table with our Living-Room-turned-Library in the background . . .

The centerpieces contained calla lilies, miniature green hydrangeas, dendrobium orchids, white roses and green berries, resting on a bed of evergreens and accented with touches of silver, with 15-inch white candles rising from the center . . .

View of both tables . . .

We didn't have enough glasses of any one kind, so we mixed them up . . . On the table are Colonial Williamsburg's Winter's Garland (green water goblets), Atlantis Chartres (from our wedding), Riley stemware (Crate and Barrel) . . . 

Tomorrow we'll talk about the food . . . and the company!!!  Merry Christmas to everyone!

I'm joining Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch, for Tablescape Thursday.  Please click on the link and visit, and enjoy the amazing work of fellow tablescapers.

Christmas Eve: Details, details . . .

Tea Bread Tuesday: Gingerbread Cake

Why is gingerbread traditionally baked in a square pan?  I mentioned to a co-worker that I'd be baking a loaf of gingerbread this week and she immediately corrected me.  Not a loaf, she says, but a square.  Why?  Because.  That was the explanation she gave me . . . and I haven't been able to improve on that despite a cursory search on the internet . . . so I wasn't about to mess with tradition . . .

I loved this bread!  Full disclosure:  Lee thought it was too sweet.  Perhaps, but I think that it's just a strong-tasting bread.  Imagine the taste of molasses, ginger, cinnamon and lemon, all combined into one recipe.  Subtle is one word that could not be applied to describe it.  It needs the sugar, but I'll make it again, and perhaps I'll try it without the lemon glaze to see if my DH likes it better that way.

Here's the recipe:

1½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ salt
½ cup shortening
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup molasses
½ cup boiling water

Glaze:

3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cups powder sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a square baking pan.  Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together the shortening, sugar, egg.  Add molasses and water.  Slowly add dry ingredients until combined.  Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert in serving dish. 

Make the glaze:  Combine the lemon juice and powder sugar in a small bowl until sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour over warm gingerbread.  Cover and let it sit overnight.  By morning, the glaze will have been completely absorbed.

3 more days til Christmas Eve!

The beauty of Christmas ain't always purty . . .

Please pardon my attire.  I did not realize when I came down early to wrap presents that I would be posing for pictures . . .  Oops, my head was partially cut off . . . It's just as well, I still had bed hair . . .

Note to self:  Don't ever buy silver wrapping paper again!  My family thought I was insane for trying to use hot glue to seal these packages . . .  They were right!  I made the mistake of buying this silver wrapping paper and I hated how the Scotch tape strips showed.  I tried three different kinds of tape, a satin, a matte, and another one labeled "Gift Wrap Tape" but none of them worked all that well . . . 

Second note to self:  Do not attempt to use the glue gun right after getting a manicure!  The hot glue was a bust anyway - there were thin strands of glue that looked like spun sugar flying all over the place and sticking to everything . . . not to mention the glops on the table and the burns . . .

Third note to self:  I can't think of a third one but there ought to be another one, don't you think . . . ?

Deck the Halls . . .

With boughs of holly . . .

Fa la la la la, la la la la . . .

Tea Bread Tuesday: Blue Rum Cupcakes

Whenever my resolve to continue the "Tea Bread Tuesday" project wavers, something happens to renew my commitment.  This week, it was my son John's homecoming for the holidays.  While I was at work today, John took over the kitchen - he made dinner AND baked cupcakes.  The aroma of chicken fricassée greeted me in the garage . . . Ahh . . . a home-cooked meal in the middle of the week . . . am I in heaven?  And this was waiting for me on the counter . . .

John made cupcakes from a box of yellow cake mix, adding a squirt of rum for a little zing . . .  Can you imagine?  MY SON IS IMPROVISING IN THE KITCHEN!!!

Is there anything better than a fresh cupcake . . . ?



It's so funny how my family has gotten behind Tea Bread Tuesday.  Whether it's my husband hovering around the kitchen while I'm baking . . . or David teasing me about these cupcakes not counting because I didn't bake them . . . or John checking up on me from school to make sure I didn't forget to bake . . . they've all embraced the project . . . I don't think they'd let me quit now . . .

I suppose, technically, these cupcakes shouldn't count . . . but who wants to be technical, anyway?  I ate one of these morsels for dessert and it was delicious!  But let me tell you . . . the secret ingredient is not rum . . . it's love . . .

Mullets, shags and Christmas red . . .

After Angela's comment on my last post, I wasn't sure whether I had a mullet in the 80's or a shag, so I had to go digging through the photo albums . . . It turned out I had both!

Here I am with a mullet, which I wore 1982 - 1983 . . . 

And here I am with a shag as a newlywed in 1984 . . .

And here's my kitchen chandelier all decked out in Christmas red, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the 80's . . .

 . . . but it's more fun to think about my chandelier, which always looks beautiful, than about my hair, which never looks quite right . . .

The Mikado

One of the intriguing things that is beginning to happen to my husband and me as quasi-empty-nesters, is the opportunity to go out without too much advance planning, needing to take a vote, check baby-sitter availability, or having to make sure that the refrigerator is filled with food.  I mean . . . we just got dressed and left . . . hmm . . . We didn't even have to write down emergency numbers for anyone . . . It was rather liberating . . . and weird . . .

Anyway, last night, Lee and I went to see The Mikado at the Lyric Opera House in downtown Chicago.  Whenever we go there, I remember the first time Lee took me when we were dating back in 1983 to see the musical, 42nd Street.  Picture the two of us . . . young and cute . . . with the most appalling taste in clothes!  Lee wore his black biker leather jacket (yes, unbelievable as it may seem, at one point in his life, my husband owned a motorcycle) over his light blue polyester suit that had been out of style for at least ten years.  I wore a Norwegian blue fox fur jacket . . . and a mullet.  What can I say?  It was the eighties!

In time, Lee got rid of the bike and the suit (the jacket is in the back of a closet somewhere . . . ), and I shed the mullet and the fur . . . but the memory . . . I wish I had a picture.  This morning Lee and I were talking about our evening . . . and laughing at our young, naïve selves.  The funny thing is that much has changed in the intervening 26 years with regards to the dress code for the opera; a broader range of styles is now quite acceptable and not so obviously out of place.  I saw long dresses and pearls last night, although most women were wearing smart casual outfits . . . but there were also a few old coots that stuck to their jeans and gym shoes without regard to what anyone thought . . . I suppose I enjoyed them the most remembering that evening in 1983.

The evening as a whole was wonderful, but to be truthful, The Mikado was a bit disappointing.  I thought for sure that a play featuring a pair of star-crossed lovers named Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum, had to be fun.  I suppose part of the play was, but the music was just so-so.  I didn't latch on to any song that would make me want to sing it in the shower over and over again.  I did learn the origin of the term "The Grand Poo-Bah" - in The Mikado, he holds, among others, the titles of First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Chief Justice, Commander-in-Chief, Lord High Admiral, Archbishop of Titipu and Lord Mayor - and is now applied mockingly to someone who exhibits an inflated self-regard . . .

Here's a view of the Main Lobby as the crowd was exiting the theatre.  The photo was taken from the Mezzanine . . .

The building has some beautiful Art Deco touches, including the chandeliers . . .

Detail from above one of the doorways . . .

The play started at 7:30 P.M.  We left the house at around 5:15 P.M. to allow for time, weather and distance.  When the play ended at 10:25 P.M. we were hungry, so we dashed to the nearest McDonald's.  Never did one of those greasy, inferior hamburgers taste so good!  Afterwards, we settled in for the ride back, and listened to Christmas music all the way home.  Then we went to bed . . . me and my Nanki-Poo . . .

Father Christmas . . . WAKE UP!

After laughing myself silly over Angela's and Nicki's posts of unusual Santas, I scrutinized my own collection and found this one, which was a souvenir from a friend visiting England during the holidays.  He came complete with a Harrod's toy bag.  This Santa doesn't seem to be able to keep his eyes open! 

Flying around through all those time zones must be wrecking havoc with his sleep, poor fellow . . .

Las Tres Amigas

Well, there's three of us . . . and I'm not entirely sure why we always seem to end up at Mexican restaurants . . . Carol, Sue and I have worked together for many years.  It's so lovely when a great working relationship can transcend to true friendship.  This is what has happened to us.  We don't see each other often these days because our jobs have put us in multiple office locations, so these holiday get-togethers have become even more important and more fun . . .

We always start out talking about work, and end up talking about God . . . gradually moving from the mundane to that all-powerful Presence in our lives . . . and it surely must be Divine intervention that has put these marvelous women in my path.  Merry Christmas, Carol and Sue!

Tea Bread Tuesday: Date-Nut Bread

I baked the tea bread last night for today's blog post because I knew I'd be out tonight at the annual Las Tres Amigas get-together (more on that tomorrow).  And this is what I found this morning on the kitchen counter before I had a chance to photograph the bread.  A little mouse named Lee apparently had a slice before going to bed, and then a second one this morning on his way out the door . . .  Well, at least he re-covered it so it wouldn't dry out . . .

The bread was deeee-licious!  I have made many versions of Date-Nut Bread over the years, but I had never tried The Silver Palate's version.  Now I could kick myself for having had this recipe at my fingertips all this time and never trying it out!  The recipe's secret ingredient is rum - 1½ tablespoons of it, just enough to infuse the batter with its flavor.  It compliments the dates beautifully!  What an unexpected surprise!  And, as an additional boon, Lee loved it!  I'll definitely be making this one again.

Here's the recipe:

4 tablespoons sweet butter, cut into 6 chunks

1 cup, pitted dates, coarsely chopped

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup boiling water

1 egg, beaten

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shelled black walnuts, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ tablespoon rum

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 bread pan.

2.  Place butter in a large mixing bowl, place dates on top, and pour both sugars over.  Pour boiling water over ingredients in the bowl.  Let sit for 7 minutes.  Stir well.

3.  When mixture is cool, add the egg and mix well.

4.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.  Add to date mixture, beating for 30 seconds.  Stir in walnuts, vanilla and rum.

5.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Just be careful of little mice left to wonder around by themselves . . .