Three Kings Day Infamy

Three Kings Day, this year, and for the rest of my life, will be marred by what happened in our nation's capital.  The storming of the Capitol by a right-wing mob, with the intent of overturning the certification of our duly elected president will be recorded for posterity in the most ignominious ways.

Hopefully, like the Epiphany that revealed the light of God to the Magi, perhaps the character of the outgoing president has finally been revealed to those that follow him.  We hope and pray, anyway.

I'd like to believe that the Three Kings saved us, and, even though we are still sheltering in our homes, and avoiding large gatherings because of this awful pandemic, I needed to celebrate and give thanks, so I baked a cake and buried a “bean” in the batter, so that the finder could be declared “King for the Day.”

Let's all pray a little extra hard tonight.

Dessert and Coffee with an Old Friend

Dessert and coffee with dear, old friends.  Anna and I have known each other since high school.  I danced at her 15th birthday cotillion, and was a bridesmaid at her wedding.  She was my matron of honor.

There's nothing like an old friend.  We can talk for hours, and the only thing that can stop us is the presence of our husbands, who may not care to hear about crinoline underskirts (which we wore for her cotillion) or the latest kitchen gadget.  Life can be so sweet.

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Placemats and table runner:  Hemstitch Squares Cutwork Linen from Horchow

Dishes:  Lenox Federal Platinum

Goblets:  Chartres by Atlantis

Flatware:  Jefferson, by Reed and Barton

Cake Stand:  Vintage, given to me by my Aunt Olga

Three Kings Day 2014

I have nothing but the greatest admiration for those who, efficiently after Christmas, or at the latest, New Year's, start taking down and packing all the Christmas decorations.  By the time they are back to work, Christmas is but a fond memory and are already perusing gardening catalogs, looking forward to the coming Spring.  Not me.  For one thing, Christmas is not officially over at our house until after Three Kings Day.  We usually host an Open House on the Sunday closest to January 6th, which is when the Catholic Church celebrates Epiphany, and gather friends and family one last time before settling in for the onslaught of snow and frigid weather.

Our Open House was wonderful, despite the fact that many friends were unable to come because of the snow.  Typically, on Three Kings Day I tend to make treats evocative of my Cuban roots.  We usually serve guava pastries, turrones (sweet nougats made of almonds, marzipan, or ground almonds) and hot chocolate is a MUST.  This year, I also made sandwiches, and cookies, and an almond spice cake.  

 

Here is the Coffee Bar set up to keep my chilly guests warm:  Piping hot coffee, with a little something something - Butterscotch Schnapps, Kahlúa and RumChata.  

Have you tried RumChata yet?  If NOT, please put this on your "Must Try" list for 2014!  This is a new twist on Horchata (hence, the "Chata" part of the name).  Spanish horchata is a sweet, milky drink made from the chufa, or tiger nut.  It tastes a lot like almond milk.   You can read all about horchata here.  It is delicious!  If you are ever in Spain, you must try it, but to truly enjoy it you must sit in a little café under sweltering sun, and wait an hour for the waiter to notice that you are even alive.  By the time you get your icy horchata, you would be ready to swear that it's the nectar of the gods!  Mexican horchata is slightly different and often made from other kinds of nuts, or even rice!  It's still delicious.  RumChata took the next step and made it into a liqueur.  Add some to your coffee, and you'll be warm and smiling in no time!

The Coffee Bar also included peppermint candy canes, and homemade Vanilla Bean syrup, something sweet without the alcohol.  There were also some dark-chocolate covered almonds nearby, in case anyone had a chocolate emergency.  That happens to me once in a while, so I'm very sympathetic.

There's always cake on Three Kings Day, so we can bury the Baby Jesus in its batter before baking.  Whoever finds the plastic baby, is King of the Day and wins a prize.  This year's Almond Spice Cake was delicious.  My son David gave it a thumbs up, and he's a tough cake customer!

 

Here's another treat:  Pecan Butterballs from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  I have been making these since 1984, the year I got married.  My sister-in-law, Angela, who is a wonderful cook, gave us the cookbook as a wedding present.  I'm on my second copy right now.  It wouldn't be Christmas around here without these little gems.  They are sweetened with a little honey, and they just melt in your mouth.  Here's the recipe:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) sweet butter, softened

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup shelled pecans, chopped moderately fine

¾ cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.  Grease one or two cookie sheets.
2. Cream butter.  Beat in honey; gradually mix in flour and salt, then vanilla.  Add pecans.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
3. Form balls by hand, the size of quarters.  Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
4. Remove from oven; as soon as cool enough to touch, roll in confectioners' sugar.  Allow to cool and roll again in sugar.

 Yields 36 cookies.

Guests were asking me for extras to take home!  You'll want to double or triple the recipe, if you want any leftovers for yourself!

 

The basket of Chocolate Chip cookies held four batches of CCCs made by my son, John!  I love it when the family gets involved in the party preparations!

On Three Kings Day I try to bring out the gold in remembrance of the Magi who brought gold to the Baby Jesus, so this year, the table is covered in a gold cloth.  The covered platter held sandwiches of Tuna Salad à la Vizcaína (Basque-style), a delightful tuna salad recipe that calls for adding roasted red peppers.

The Christmas centerpiece was given a facelift.  I removed the wilted blooms, and replaced them with snowy white carnations, gold balls, and a little red cardinal that begged to come out and play.

After taking a look at his little cousin outside, he realized that he got the better deal . . .

 

It's time to put away the extra Christmas cards!

Now we can sit by the fire and enjoy the wonderful memories we created during this joyful Christmas season!  May you have a wonderful new year!

Romancing the home

Little touches of romance can be found everywhere around the house . . .

Turtle dove soaps in the Powder Room . . .  I'll have to remove the pretend straw . . . I was hoping for an egg . . .  What do you think . . . ?

My husband was very happy that I didn't wait for Easter to bring home some jelly beans . . .

For my son and his college buddies, red velvet cupcakes in these darling liners that stay bright even after baking . . .

Mama love . . .

I'm trying out the new heart dishes that I won in Linda's (More Fun Less Laundry) giveaway . . .

The guy I married has an insatiable sweet tooth.  He ate the chocolates Linda sent before I got home!  So I just had to go out and buy some more chocolate . . . Doesn't this bit of cake look just perfect on the new dishes?  Should I share . . . ?

I am so in love with these dishes!  Aren't they fun?

They remind me of a Picasso drawing, except it's done in red, not black . . . and it's not done by Picasso . . . mere details . . .

Linda also included this lovely glass heart ornament.  I tied the yellow ribbon that came with the chocolates as a reminder to my honey that there was a box of chocolates with the package that I didn't even get to see . . .   I rather like the contrast of the orangey-yellow with the red . . . I think I'll keep it like just like this . . .

A glass of cherry juice in honor of George Washington, who has a birthday in February . . .

And there's Oprah all decked out in red for February . . . Is she trying to tell me something . . . ?

The Swarovski swans have come out to play just in time . . .



. . . to remind me that they mate for life and don't let a box of chocolates get in the way of true love . . .

Thinking . . . Hawaii

Start out with a pineapple . . . How can one think about Hawaii without a pineapple . . . ?

Pick up some Mai Tai Mix . . .

Take out the ol' bottle of rum . . .  Some ice . . . A blender . . .

Make a Mai Tai Cake using a box of yellow cake mix and substituting Mai Tai Mix for the water . . .  Then make a glaze using more Mai Tai Mix . . .

Grill some Teriyaki Chicken and slices of that delicious pineapple . . .   Ahh!  This is what summer is all about . . .

Tea Bread Tuesday: Amaretto Cake

Who would have thought that there were so many variations for David's Cake?

From Linda (More Fun Less Laundry) - Add a little Kahlua

From Pat (The View Through My Lens) - Use Lemon Cake Mix and Lemon Instant Pudding

From Co-worker Diana - Add a cup of miniature chocolate chips and ¾ C. Bailey's Irish Cream

From Friend Sue - Use yellow cake mix and Pistachio Instant Pudding

And here's one more variation - Amaretto Cake:

Cake:

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
¾ C. Amaretto di Saronno
½ C. water
¼ teaspoon almond extract
4 eggs
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding
1 C. sour cream

Glaze:

6 tablespoons Amaretto di Saronno
1 C. powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 325°F.  Grease and flour a bundt pan, or spray with PAM for Baking.  Combine cake ingredients and mix well until the lumps are gone.  Pour mixture into bundt pan and bake 40-45 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in bundt pan for about 10 minutes.  Invert on serving plate and allow to cool completely.  Prepare glaze and pour over cake.

This cake is going to have you singing "O Sole Mio."

Tea Bread Tuesday: David's Cake

There's nothing my son, David, likes better than a rich, moist chocolate cake.  This recipe is simplicity itself, and chocolate seemed appropriate given that a)  Valentine's Day is coming up and that puts me in the mood for chocolate, b) my husband is traveling this week, so I needed to make something that I knew David would eat, and c)  . . . well, the powdered sugar covering the cake reminded me of snow, something that's been very much on our minds lately . . .

Here's the recipe:

1 box chocolate or Devil's Food cake mix
1 cup sour cream
5 eggs, slightly beaten
1 3.4-oz. package of instant chocolate pudding
¾ water

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a bundt pan, or use PAM spray for baking.  Mix all ingredients with a mixer until combined and no lumps remain.  Pour into bundt pan.  Bake for one hour, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven.  Let cool in bundt pan for at least 10 minutes, invert on serving plate and let cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I love this bundt pan, the arches in the mold make pretty impressions on the cake.  It reminds me a little of this other white stuff and the impressions it created last week against our garage door . . .

53!

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

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!

Tea Bread Tuesday (delayed?): Orange-Olive-Oil Cake

See, here's the thing:  It's been a busy week, what with putting the finishing touches on our 2nd Floor Bathroom, making the video, getting through Thanksgiving weekend . . . and then, unexpectedly, just when a little relaxation was needed badly, I spotted a Michael Connelly book I hadn't seen before . . . Let's just say I'm very fond of Michael Connelly's books . . .

We were having dinner at a restaurant when I noticed a gentleman sitting by himself . . . well, he wasn't really by himself, he had the best company in the world:  A book!  My head started tilting sideways, trying to read the title of the book he was reading . . . Ah!  Now I have it!  "The Reversal" . . . So we just HAD to detour to the bookstore after dinner . . .  And when we got home, instead of taking out the baking pans, I found myself ensconced in my favorite chair going through the bonding ritual between me and "The Book" -  you know, reading the end pages (Yes!  Both Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller are in this one!) . . . checking out the author's picture (handsome guy . . . I don't think too many people could get away with those glasses) . . . removing the sales tags from the jacket (ever so slowly, so none of the sticky glue gets stuck) . . . read the dedication page (hmm . . . don't know who that is . . . ) . . . read over the list of his books . . . (yup . . . I've read all those . . . how did I miss that this one was out?) . . .

Now I'm ready to start . . . Oh . . . Yes . . . er . . . This is supposed to be about the cake . . .  It wasn't until this morning, when I realized that I completely forgot to bake!  But!  How's this for luck?  Today, I came home early from work, so I was able to carry out the baking, albeit, a little delayed . . . ?

We gave the cake mixed reviews:  I loved it, but Lee wasn't overly impressed . . .  The cake calls for the grated zest of three oranges, and I could see the flecks in every slice . . . it tastes like a dense pound cake, fragrant from the oranges . . . Lee thought the crust was dry . . . I don't know, I kind of liked the crunchy crust as a compliment to the dense interior . . . I think we should have followed the directions and let it sit overnight.  But my DH's sweet tooth needed to be apeased, and I'm so happy that my bathroom is done, that it's hard to say no to him lately . . .  I would definitely give this one a thumbs up! 

Here's the link:  http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39576556/from/toolbar/

Now, back to my book . . .

Tea Bread Tuesday: Apple Cake

I wanted to try apples on a tea bread, to immerse myself in the season - Apple Loving Season, that is . . . This one came from Ms. Paula Deen. She calls it Uncle Bob's Fresh Apple Cake . . .

It was good: The cake was dense and the Granny Smith Apples provided that sweet-tart combination that seems to work so well in tea breads. It tasted fine at room temperature, but I cut a piece while still warm and . . . it was sublime . . . Hmm . . .

My husband and taster par excellence, Leo, has been rating the breads lately. He rated this one a 7.5 out of 10 points. Then he experimented with a different rating system - 3½ teaspoons out of 5. He is committed to practicing until he gets it just right. What a guy! Here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/uncle-bobs-fresh-apple-cake-recipe/index.html

Halloween Treats

So maybe I did go a smidgen overboard with the desserts this weekend. Maybe chocolate chip cookies, a rum cake and Cuban vanilla custard were a bit over the top, considering all the Halloween candy floating around the house . . .

But I had all this caffeine in my system and felt like the "Energizer" bunny. Or maybe I was just happy with the special Halloween treat cluttering my kitchen table.

He says he came back for "Halloween Soup" - just good ol' chicken noodle soup made from scratch, a tradition at our house since the kids were little.

Trick-or-Treaters: We are ready for you now!