A "Chocolate Times 100" Cake and a Little Celebration

I found myself immediately transformed into a traffic cop as I held out both hands and practically threw myself into the "after-school pick-up" traffic to avoid having my 5-year-old hit by on-coming cars as he obliviously skipped across the street toward me. His eyes were shining. His "too-big" back-pack was jostling wildly up and down on his back. His smile...melt-your-heart big.


"Mom! Mom!" he cried out. "Guess what?"


"What, sweetie?" I said to him while wrapping my arm around his shoulders and pulling him over to the side with me.


"Best day ever!"


"Really? Why?"


"Today was the 100th day of school!"


He then launched into a dissertation on why that 100th day was "Best Day Ever." Top of the list was the half-eaten Fruit Loop necklace he wore around his neck. One hundred Fruit Loops, strung onto a piece of yarn and divided into groups of tens by squares of black paper.


"And, Mom, I finished my "neck-a-lace" first. Other people said they did but they didn't. Not really."


He continued to chatter as we drove home. Recounting the other 100th Day of School activities they had been doing in class. Collecting 100 things. Sorting 100 things. And then, counting out 100 cheerios, 100 raisins and 100 chocolate chips for the 100th day snack. The pinnacle of the 100th Day celebration.

And it made me think, 100 of anything, is quite substantial. Meaningful even. 100 days. 100 dollars. 100 yards. 100 years. 100 La Pomme de Portland posts.


And since this here post marks my 100th, I decided that it deserved its own little celebration. The kind of "Best Day Ever" celebration. It seems so long ago that I wrote that first one.


So, I baked a cake. A chocolate cake. From a box. With a few extras. Just because. And took pictures. Trust me it's delicious. The Rooster couldn't get over his good luck when he arrived home from work and found it sitting on the kitchen table.


And no it's not low-fat, calorie-free or rich with whole grains but sometimes we can't worry about that. Sometimes we simply need to enjoy what we're eating because it tastes delicious. And because we're celebrating. Or as those fancy French folks would say, "pour le plaisir." So go on. Go make it. Celebrate with me.

And then as a little gift for you, I have created a list of inspiration (which ended up taking me a lot longer than I thought and hence the reason why this post did not go out last week at its regularly scheduled time.)


One hundred inspirational sites that I visit regularly. Sometimes for the recipes, sometimes for the beautiful photographs, other times for the bits of relevant information or simply because of the person behind the site.


This list is not exhaustive. There is so much talent out there on the web. It's impossible to capture it all in one list. But I hope my one hundred may inspire you and lead you on to find your one hundred.


You will always find my list at the top of my site under the tab "Inspiration" and I will rotate the sites on the list as time goes by and new bits of inspiration are discovered.

And last, but certainly not least, I send out to each of you one hundred thank you's. Thank you for reading. For growing along with me from 30 friends, to one hundred, to one thousand, to two thousand and more every month. Really and truly. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. You mean the world to me. I don't take for granted the precious time that you kindly spend here on La Pomme. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.


xo
Carrie




A "Chocolate Times One Hundred" Cake
My dear, talented sister, Courtney Cook Hopp, passed this recipe on to me years ago. It's easy. It's a winner and it never fails to taste incredible. Perfect for celebrations. Plus, since I'm not much of a baker, as in "cake baking," this recipe takes away the angst of "Will the cake be moist?" It always is.
I was inspired to garnish the cake with bits of greenery from the woods after reading this fascinating article written by our local Oregonian FOODday staff writer, Leslie Cole. Of course, all I could find in my woods were soggy Nerf accessories and a broken badminton racket so I ended up using some French tarragon from my herb garden that is just starting to pop up for spring. Furthermore, if, after reading the above article, you find yourself completely enamored with the foraging concept, here's another good read. This article written by our own Kathleen Bauer of Good Stuff NW.


Ingredients
1 box Devil's food cake mix (fine with or without "pudding in the mix")
1 5.9 oz box instant chocolate pudding
1 1/4 c water
1/2 c oil
4 eggs
2 c chocolate chips, divided (semi-sweet or dark, your choice)
1/2 c whipping cream
Optional: powdered sugar


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan. Set aside.


Combine the first 5 ingredients (cake mix through eggs) and beat with a mixer for about 2 minutes on medium speed. With a wooden spoon or spatula, fold in 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan.


Bake for about 55 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched.


Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully turn cake out onto a metal rack to finish cooling.


Once cake has completely cooled, make your ganache. Put your remaining cup of chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, carefully bring your cream just to a boil. Slowly pour over your reserved chocolate chips. With a spatula, gently stir the chips and cream until they blend together. You can let it sit at room temperature for up to 10 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. Then, spoon over your cooled cake.


As another option, you can pass on the ganache and simply sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar. I like to put my powdered sugar in a sieve and then gently press it through the sieve with the back of a spoon. This leaves a fine, even spread of the sugar on the cake.


PS: I like to pop my pieces of cake in the microwave for about 10 seconds. It softens up the chocolate chips and....yum.


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In Case You're Trying to Stay Away from the Box....
Check out these lovely posts, featuring cakes made from scratch.

• Ashley over at Not Without Salt made a Homemade Rainbow Chip Cake. Who knew you even could?
• Hannah has a Browned Butter Cake with Cinnamon Chocolate Frosting going on at her lovely Honey and Jam site.
• Here is charming Molly's Winning-Hearts-and-Minds Chocolate Cake that I've always wanted to make but never have.
• Kim over at Quit Eating Out has a recipe for "light and healthy" Red Velvet Cupcakes. Could there be such a thing?
• And of course, one can never go wrong with anything by Ina. Here is the Barefoot Contessa's Chocolate Ganache Cake.

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And Because I Have Spring Fever....
Yes, yes, I could go on and on bemoaning our gray, rainy, no-sun weather typical for this time of year but I won't. No. Instead I'll tell you that I have spring fever. I managed to get some sweet pea seeds in the ground by President's Day. Hoping to get some lettuce seeds in the ground as well and I absolutely swooned over this tea towel that Victoria featured over on her design site, SF Girl by Bay.

You can find this little goodie over at Terrain.


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And yes, the Organization Project is back on....
I managed to pull out everything from the "under the stairs" closet. It is all boxed up, labeled and ready to donate. Of course, it is all sitting in my entryway at the moment. So, the goal for this week is to get it loaded into the car and taken to the appropriate donation site. Can't wait!


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2011

Nutty Granola and Oatmeal Cookies: Similar Ingredients...Completely Different Results

"Yeah, yeah...I know...I've heard this speech before," my daughter said to me in a tone dripping with teenager attitude. Frustrated I fired back at her, "And that's exactly the kind of attitude that won't help out your cause." She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. I left the room and headed toward the stairs.


Passing by the living room, I caught a glimpse of the 5-year-old standing erect with his arms at his side, hands clenched. His older brother was sitting nearby with a glimmer in his eye and a smirk on his face. A Zhu Zhu Babies commercial was playing on the television. This didn't look good. At the top of his lungs the 5-year-old screamed at his brother, "Just stop it! Just stop it you stupid-head!" stuck out his tongue and then pushed past me to run up the stairs. The 11-year-old couldn't help but break into a full smile at that point. With feigned innocence he turned to me and said, "What?"


I gave him "the look" and continued up the stairs. Tired. Out of "parenting" ideas. And wondering "Who are these children?"

I plopped down on my bed and went through the actions I'd taken over the past few months to try to guide my children into better, more respectful, more responsible behavior. The reminder signs. The consequences. The reasoning. But really...nothing seemed to be working all that great.


Reluctantly, I reached over and pulled the book off my nightstand. I didn't want to do it. Hadn't I already read enough parenting books? But, I admitted to myself, I needed some fresh thoughts on the matter.

As I flipped through the pages, little nuggets of wisdom seemed to call out to me.


"They are growing up but they are not grown-up."


"Don't take your child's behavior personally."


"Be curious enough to try to understand your child's point of view."


"You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts."


And then I came across a sentence. A simple sentence but one that made me slam the book shut. To sigh and shake my head. To realize that a bit of the truth was staring me right in the face.


"Sometimes you get the best results by forgetting about the behavior and focusing on the relationship."

Wasn't it true that I'd been spending an inordinate amount of time on my stuff? My writing. My photographs. My appointments. My projects around the house. My incessant need to cook...stuff.


Oh, yeah, I had been putting up my responsibility reminder lists, making sure they got their hour of weeding in on the weekends, their homework done, their beds made, dishes done...but had I really been spending any time with them? Focused time?


I'd even caught myself recently thinking, "I really should take my little guy to the playground." But I didn't.

Knowing that the kiddos were out of school on Monday, I made a promise to myself. I would take them to do something fun. Something they would really like. And I would just enjoy each one of them. Their company. I would put aside all thoughts of "To Dos" and "Goals."


So, I put all of my chickens in the car and we headed downtown for a movie. And not just any movie. But the "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" movie in 3D. (Let it be known that this was not the first choice of the 11-year-old. But he was a very good sport.) As I looked down the row at my three chickens with their glasses on, the 5-year-old munching away on his popcorn and everyone smiling, I couldn't help but smile myself. Later, we putzed around. Chatted. No real agenda except to be back in time for dinner.

That evening I learned that the 5-year-old had changed his name to Justin after discovering that he could "swish" his hair like his namesake. This is the type of situation that would normally set-off a litany of taunting and teasing by his older brother. But not this time. Instead, I found him kindly combing his little brother's hair into the proper swish, helping him put on a "Justin Bieber outfit" and then, leading him downstairs to pound away on our old, beat-up drum set.

And that night, instead of giving my daughter the rushed, "Good night," I laid down on her bed. With her. And we talked. She talked. Late into the evening. She covered all manner of subjects. Homework. Friends. All those stresses of middle school. And when I finally got up to go, she said to me, "Mom....?"


"Yes?"


"Thanks for today."


"You are so welcome."

So this morning, as snowflakes gently fall out my window, I mix up my oats, my cinnamon, my almonds. Individual ingredients that will eventually make-up a whole finished product. A batch of homemade granola. Or perhaps oatmeal cookies. Similar ingredients that produce uniquely different results. And I think to myself, "It's hard, isn't it? This delicate balancing act. Trying to figure out when to focus on teaching responsibility and respect and an entire encyclopedia of other attributes to our children and when...to let go of all of that and simply enjoy them. As people."


(Sigh....)






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Nutty Granola and Oatmeal Cookies: Similar Ingredients...Completely Different Results


Okay, this week, you're getting two recipes....you lucky people you. The first is a batch of homemade granola. I tossed in a little of this and a little of that...which is the beauty of granola...and "Voila!" delicious. So, if you don't have all of the ingredients, no biggie. Use what you have. Then, I got crazy and took that homemade granola and put it into oatmeal cookies. (Don't tell the Rooster though. He recently asked me for a batch of oatmeal cookies but said, "Nothing crazy. No crazy ingredients. Just a plain oatmeal cookie." I can't help myself.) Both are the perfect antidote for a pensive, snowy day.






A Nutty Homemade Granola


Delicious plain, on yogurt, with milk, sprinkled over ice cream. And as a side note, I tend to have a lot of different nuts around. (I mean the ingredient, not my children.) I buy them in bulk and store them in the freezer where they keep beautifully for months and months.


Ingredients:


3 c old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 c raisins
1/2 c unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 c pecan pieces
1/2 c walnut pieces
1/2 c almonds, chopped or not, your choice
2 tbsp golden flax seed
1 tbsp wheat germ

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c pure maple syrup
2 tbsp olive oil


Directions:


Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Either grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper and set aside.


In a large bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: oats, raisins, coconut, pecans, walnuts, almonds, flax seed, wheat germ, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Then add in your maple syrup and olive oil. Stir until mixture is evenly coated with syrup and oil.


Pour out onto cookie sheet and spread evenly. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking time. Allow to cook a bit and then, start snacking. Once cooled completely, store in an air-tight container. Enjoy.....


Yield: 5 cups or so






Crunchy Granola Oatmeal Cookies
Inspired by Mrs. King's Irresistibles in Rose's Christmas Cookies


Obviously, I used the homemade granola I had made at home but you can use store-bought granola. Just make sure it's unsweetened or lightly-sweetened or it will be too sugary. If your granola does not have any nuts in it, you might want to consider decreasing the granola amount to 1 1/2  cups and adding in 1 cup of your favorite toasted nuts...walnuts, pecans, almonds.




Ingredients:


2 c homemade granola *see note above
1 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 c unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract




Directions:


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Into a small bowl, pour in your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together well. Set aside.


In a mixing bowl, beat your sugars until well blended. Add in your butter and beat until smooth and creamy. Scraping down the sides. Beat in your eggs and vanilla until well incorporated. At low speed, add your flour mixture and mix just until combined. With a wooden spoon or spatula, gently fold in your granola, oats and chocolate chips just until evenly distributed in the dough.


Drop the dough by large, rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes or just until the tops are turning light brown. (Better to underbake than overbake.)


Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet, then, transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.


Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a few weeks or in the freezer for several months.


Enjoy.....


Yield: About 3 dozen








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Thank you, thank you, my dear friends!


I can hardly believe it but this post marks my 99th. Holy Catfish, is all I can say!! Holy Catfish and thank you! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for reading my musings (especially when I get a little long-winded.) For trying out my recipes. For kindly viewing my photographs. For buying my calendars. For thoughtfully letting me know when something I wrote made you laugh or cry. When you thought a photograph was "extra-purdy." Or a recipe extra-scrumptious.


I must do something extra-special for the 100th post. You deserve it. I deserve it. But what?


xoxo
Carrie






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A Quick Note


Just in case you were curious...my all time favorite parenting books are from the Positive Discipline series. A dear friend of mine who is a teacher turned me on to them when my eldest was still a baby. Of course, as with any type of advice book, I don't necessarily agree with everything the author has to say...but definitely with most of it. I just recently bought the Positive Discipline for Teenagers. So telling....eh?  The author uses the word "discipline" in its true sense and that is, "to teach." And really, as parents, that's what we are...teachers. Right? Well, sometimes I'm a pack mule too, but that's a different story.






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AM Northwest


Stopped by AM Northwest last week to mix up a pot of Hearty Lentil Soup with Helen and Dave. Was a hoot, as always.







If a video screen does not appear above this line, click here to be taken directly to the site.
















All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread to Acknowledge That Autumn has Truly Arrived

"No. I don't want you. Get back in your closet. I don't care if you used to be my favorite. I'm not ready for you!!" I heard myself wailing those words last week, like a toddler having a tantrum.

With a sigh, I said good-bye to the sun and braced myself for the 7 straight days of wind and rain as forecasted by my weather page. Autumn has always been my most cherished season of the year. But not this go around. Maybe it's because our summer here in the Northwest didn't really start until the beginning of August. Maybe it's because due to the ages of my children, we can actually have fun on our summer vacations nowadays. Maybe it's because I'm still hoping those little green peppers are going to grow bigger and turn red. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and it takes me longer to recover from the previous school year and hence, I wasn't quite ready for this school year to start. And since I'm still not recovered from the previous school year, how am I possibly going to get through the impending holiday season? Whatever the problem, I was not ready to usher in my favorite season of the year with open arms.

But, autumn is here whether I'm ready for it or not. Funny how that works. So, I tried to drum up some seasonal spirit and put a sprinkling of fall decor around the house. A string of lights. I spent an afternoon raking the leaves off my front lawn. Breathing in that cool, crisp air. I turned on the heat and pulled out my favorite pink wool sweater to wear in the evenings. After school one day, to the surprise and delight of my children, I set down mugs of hot apple cider topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Saturday morning found me, huddled under umbrellas, with my mother and father. A fleece blanket draped over our laps. Hooting and hollering as my 11-year old and his football team fought their way into the playoffs. And so, you could say, I was going through the motions to embrace the season upon me. But it was after the football game, during a seemingly "non-moment", that I found myself unable to resist autumns charms.

There, sprinkled on the deck of the parking lot, was a kaleidoscope of color. Leaves in all shades of crimson. And the shear beauty of those leaves laying there in the rain against the stark contrast of the pavement made me catch me breath.

Smiling, I hopped into the car and drove up through the fog toward home. Into the kitchen, I went. Bowls and mixers making all kinds of racket. Vince Guaraldi coming through loud and clear on my speakers. My sweetie passing through and casually tossing out the comment, "Do you ever stop producing?" And me, singularly focused on baking a loaf of pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. It was time to properly welcome in autumn.

So here I sit, after the frenzy of the holiday weekend and the baking extravaganza. Warm in my favorite wool sweater. A cup of tea and a plate of crumbs from the slice of pumpkin bread I had for breakfast next to me. A sick child upstairs. My voters pamphlet in front of me. All thoughts of going back to bed, long since silenced. Out the window, brilliant reds and yellows played out against a backdrop of creamy, white fog. And me thinking, "Okay, okay, I'm glad you're here my favorite friend."


Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Pumpkin Bread, The Joy of Cooking

So, yes, as I mentioned above I had a bee in my bonnet about needing to make pumpkin bread over the weekend. I combed the internet high and low, pulled out cookbook after cookbook, searching for the perfect pumpkin bread recipe but every time I found one, the recipe would call for at least 3 CUPS of sugar, if not more. I just couldn't, in my right mind, add 3 cups of sugar to a single loaf of bread. So, in a last ditch attempt, I pulled out a ladder and hauled down Irma's masterpiece, The Joy of Cooking, from the highest point in my kitchen in a last ditch attempt to find a recipe. There it was on page 774. And only a bit more than 1 cup of sugar needed. In my effort to try to "healthify" (I just made that word up) my recipes, I did throw in some whole wheat pastry flour and since one of my guys is allergic to nuts, instead of the handful of walnuts I would have like to have used, I tossed in some chocolate chips to spice it up a bit. I found it to be incredibly delicious, all warm, straight from the oven, but left to sit a day or two, the flavors mellow and mingle giving it an even richer flavor.

Ingredients:

1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar plus 1/3 c packed light or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c dark chocolate chips (or walnuts or raisins or all three.)


Directions:

Bring out all of your ingredients so they can be warming to room temperature. Next, position a rack in the middle of your oven and then, preheat to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. (I used butter.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine your milk and vanilla. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat your butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add in your sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes. Next, beat in your eggs, one at a time. Add your pumpkin puree and beat on low speed just until blended.

Add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk mixture in 2 parts, beating on low speed or stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Fold in your chocolate chips.

Pour into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let your loaf cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes before taking out of the pan and allowing to cool completely. Enjoy.

Yield: One loaf.

All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries (aka My Own "Bottle Cap")

All right, so last Monday morning wasn't exactly my proudest parenting moment. But you can't really blame me. No. It's not my fault how I was raised. You see, when I was young and my siblings and I would scrape a knee, cut a finger, crack our heads open or break an arm, my father would simply say to us, "Ah, come on. Put a bottle cap on it and let's go." Sometimes he'd have an actual bottle cap and sometimes it was just enough to say it. We never knew exactly what the bottle cap did but we were under the impression that it must hold some mystical healing powers since he said it so often.

Now, I can't say I use the actual bottle cap phrase on my own children (although he does) but having it said so much to me as a child has rendered me fairly impatient with situations involving injury or ailments. Oh sure, I'm good for the first 24 hours or so. Warm wash clothes on foreheads. The stroking of the hair. The head cocked sympathetically, as each ailment is communicated. The proper, "Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry you don't feel well." Deliveries of tea, ginger ale, toast and applesauce. But once the 24 hours is up, I've been known to say to an ailing child wanting my help, "Why don't you just go get a "bucket"?" or "You know where the band-aids and neosporin are." or "I don't know what to tell you. There's ginger ale in the fridge." Clearly, I'd never have made a good doctor or nurse. My sweetie has the better bedside manner and patience for matters such as these.

And so it was that my dear daughter contracted some version of a stomach virus that just went on and on and on. Week after week. Over 3 weeks to be exact. Of course, I felt for her. What could be worse but what about me? I could get absolutely nothing done. Especially with the false alarms where she'd think she felt well enough to go to school so I'd drive her there only to arrive at her school to find her pale as a ghost, flush and reaching for the bucket (even though this particular stomach virus never actually required the use of said "bucket.") So, back home we'd go. Practically an hour round trip. Then, being the trooper that she is, she'd want to try again at lunch time, bless her heart. I finally put an end to that. "If you don't go in the morning, we're not trying again later." I was spending my whole day in the car. My patience was waning and to top it off, I was starting to panic. "She's missed so much school. What if I can't get her to go back? Ever? And, I have to homeschool her?" God, help me.

Which brings us up to last Monday morning. Patience gone. Panic set in. Once again, I'd driven her to school only to arrive and have her say to me, "I just can't go in there. I don't feel well." At that exact moment, I thought I might lose my mind. I should have taken a cue from my father and said, "Well, sweetie, you're going to have to put a bottle cap on it. Now, grab your backpack and head on in." But, no. I have to launch into a speech in that "tone", you know the one, on how she's going to have to buck up. "Sometimes you just have to deal. We don't always feel good. You can be at home sitting in front of the TV, not feeling well or at school, sitting in a classroom in front of your teachers, not feeling well. What's the difference?!" On and on I went, stopping only when I finally noticed that my sweet girl had tears sliding down her face. Well, if that didn't just slap a load of guilt right on my back. Reluctantly and sheepishly, all at the same time, I pulled out of the drop-off line and into an actual parking spot. I pulled out my phone and called the doctor's office. I'm not one to ever take my children in to the doctor's office for run-of-the-mill childhood illnesses but I had to admit that this had lasted quite some time. Silently, we drove there. Me feeling like a selfish mother, she feeling...well, not good. As I thought, the doctor told us to just let it run its course but somehow, that seemed to make my daughter feel better.

Wednesday morning was glorious. The sun was out. The air was fresh from the recent rain. I was actually showered and dressed in something other than the standard issue black athletic wear. And, wonder of wonder, my daughter felt great. I had her loaded up along with the 5-year old and we were headed out of the neighborhood. And, not only that but, miracle of miracles, I was also going to get them there on time. For the first time in many weeks, everyone would be at school. I would have an entire day to myself. I could barely contain my excitement. Windows down. Music playing. Whistling. Humming. Toe tapping. And then, the phone rings. "Carrie, we have your son here in the office. He says his stomach isn't feeling well. We think you should come get him." If at that moment, I had a towel, I would have thrown it. I drove for a moment in disbelief and then, I slowly turned the car around. Picked up my guy. Settled him in at home. Dropped the other two at school and then, came home and made Chocolate and Cherry Oatmeal cookies. As I sank into the couch next to my buddy and devoured one after the other of these sinfully delicious little chewy bites of heaven, I told myself to buck up. "Ah, come on now. Put a bottle cap on it. What's a few more weeks?" Somehow, the cookies helped.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Pecans and Dried Cherries
(Adapted from Seven Spoons recipe of the same name)


Just like my nursing skills, I don't have a lot of patience with baking nuances as well. Below I've typed out how I made these cookies which turned out scrumptiously delicious but for you baking purists out there, here's a link to the original recipe in its entirety, with all of the proper little baking details included. I discovered this recipe last fall on Tara's delightful food blog, Seven Spoons, and have been waiting for just the right moment to make the chewy little morsels. Well, the moment presented itself. I made half of my batch with the pecans and half without, since my 10-year old is allergic to nuts. And, let me just say, unless you have the same nut issue, don't leave out the pecans. They are what takes a rather ordinary oatmeal cookie and elevates it to sinful. I loved them so much I made them twice...in two days.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
(I actually used half all-purpose and half whole-wheat pastry flour)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened but not too warm
1 1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c pecans, toasted and chopped
1 c dried cherries chopped coarse (or cranberries, if you please)
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, I used Guittard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use parchment paper to line several standard baking sheets and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer down to low and add the flour mixture to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Then, with a wooden spoon, stir in the oats, nuts, cherries and chocolate and stir just until combined evenly throughout the dough.

Drop by tablespoons onto the cookie sheets at least 1 inch apart. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are uniformly golden, but still wet in the middle. You might think they're undercooked but they're not....resist the urge to overbake. They will set up further as they cool.

Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Yield: about 2 dozen.


All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

Une Petite Pomme: Spella Caffé

(Before reading the following sentence, please cue up your best British accent.)

I believe that I have stumbled upon, quite possibly, the finest latté I have ever had the privilege to drink.

Now, all that being said, I do not consider myself a coffee connoisseur per se but I do drink coffee...often...and I know what I like and what I like is the latté they create for me at Spella Caffé. I use the word "create" on purpose because the manner in which the baristas at Spella Caffé hand-pull their espresso shots is, quite honestly, an art form.

Wander down to SW 9th and Alder, Monday through Friday, 9a - 4p, and there on the corner, with the Italian flag proudly flying, is where you will find these creations being made. Most days you will be greeted by baristas, Chris Ryan and Tristan Roff, who clearly love what they do. I remarked to them that I have been enjoying their creations for quite some time now and I have yet to experience the bitter aftertaste that so often accompanies even the "best" espressos around. Chris explained to me that the Italian Rancilio machine they use is a manual, hand-pulled machine which makes the whole process of pulling shots a much more organic experience and allows for more control as opposed to a push-button machine. The timing is all in his head. He further explained that Spella Caffé owner, Andrea Spella, uses farm-direct Brazilian beans which he roasts right here in Portland. This past fall, always on the hunt for the best beans, he reaped his latest harvest from a place described as "Large Plateau of Iron" located between two extinct volcanoes. Talk about knowing exactly what you like...exactly what you want.

You can get your coffee to go and be on your merry way but what I recommend is to take some time for yourself. A longer lunch hour. A mental health day. Whatever. Enjoy this work of art from a real cup. Sit at one of their little outdoor tables and watch the colorful people that make up this fine city walk by. Glance over at the aspiring chefs on their break from "Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts." Have a conversation with the woman who is just sure that the jewelry store where she dropped off a ring to be repaired has closed its doors, taking her ring with it and if she finds out that this is in fact true, she is going to be "suing his ass." Once you have swallowed the last drop of your creamy, perfectly balanced latté (or the coffee drink of your choice), you'll have just enough time to stroll a couple blocks over to Powell's Books where you can become lost in the aisles of knowledge before returning to the schedule of your day...refreshed. (For those of you not from Portland, I am just sure that Powell's Books is on your list of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" so when you do indeed come here to go to Powell's...now, you'll know where to get your coffee.)

Should you arrive at SW 9th & Alder on a day when the rain resembles a car wash, drive just a little further to SW 5th & Alder (520 SW Fifth Ave) where Spella Caffé has a tiny little indoor outpost and you can watch your creation being made...safe from the elements.

As I handed my empty coffee cup back to Chris and Tristan and reluctantly gave up my spot at the café table, Chris let me know that Spella Caffé is now serving up its works of art at Alma Chocolate on NE 28th Ave. & Davis, right off of Burnside. "Have you been there?" "Why no, I have not?" He went on to list off the accolades and praises being given to Alma Chocolate. "Enough said. I'm sold." Darn it all, I'm just going to have to go try out Alma Chocolate. Chocolate and coffee. What could be better? Anyone want to come with me?

All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010

A Little Insurance Policy in the Form of Chocolate Chip Cookies

For months now, at the request of family members, friends, strangers even, we have dutifully removed our shoes and assumed the "back-to-back" position, while these...people, bent their knees, leveled off their point-of-view and eyeballed our heads. And then, rising back up, these same people would sigh and declare, "Nope. Not yet."

And so it was, the second week of January 2010, in the midst of making dinner on an already rushed school night, my sweetie says, "Hey, wait a minute, you two. Stand back to back." To which I replied, "I'm in the middle of making dinner." "Oh, it'll just take a second. Come on." I dutifully removed my shoes sensing there was no way out of it, turned my back and stood there staring straight ahead as my husband eyeballed our heads. Then, with a big grin on his face, he straightened back up and said, "Well, it's official. She's taller than you."

I always knew this day would be here. At least, I knew, hypothetically. All those years of playfully saying, "One day, you'll be bigger than Mommy." I could surmise. Make an educated guess...but I don't think I really knew what it would be like when it was truth. When my 12-year old daughter would literally have one up on me. No, not really. And so, here I am, on the other side of the yardstick and it's definitely a peculiar feeling. To no longer have that "physical stature" over another person especially one much, much younger than you. To have to reach up to hug your child. A bit surreal, I'd say.

While I do consider myself quite the foodie and try to keep my finger on the pulse of the "food world", I missed the heated fervor surrounding the infamous "New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie" recipe last summer. Never heard a word about it. Not a peep. Could be that I don't bake. Not really. I don't have the patience for it. It's so exacting. I just want to toss in a little of this, a little of that. But, when my sweet, mother-in-law, whom I've talked about before here, emailed me the link to the recipe concurrently as the measuring of the heights was happening, one glance at the recipe and I knew...this was the answer.

Perhaps I was feeling a bit insecure about my new place in the line-up. Perhaps it wasn't insecurity so much as a little bit of wistfulness...she's growing up and there's no stopping it. We even have physical evidence, now, of this occurrence. While my kind and thoughtful mother kept a steady stream of snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies going my entire childhood, my children have never known this cookie parade. So, the cookies, these NYT cookies, would be rather novel to them...or more specifically, her. It's not bribery. I'm not buying her love, her respect, her admiration. No, no, no. Nothing like that. I am still her mother, after all. I still have the power to take away her beloved cell phone, iPod, favorite pair of jeans, should the occasion present itself. She's too young to even get a job to support herself, for crying out loud...but, then again, no one can get a job right now...but that's beside the point. It's just insurance. A little tiny insurance policy I've written up on my own to the tune of...the way to a child's heart...

And, with that, I got down to business which was challenging to say the least. Baking requires intense concentration. Focused thinking. I am anything but focused. My time is always fractured...between constantly being interrupted by my lovely offspring and my brain that jumps around from thought to thought as if it were a flea, it's amazing I get anything done. And, then, the whole...dip and sweep method of measuring flour makes me crazy, but dip, I did. And I definitely don't sift but considering the circumstances, I dug my little sifter out from the hinterlands of my pantry while simultaneously searching for the "paddle" attachment for my mixer (not realizing that the "paddle" attachment is just the regular ole mixing attachment I've always used which looks nothing like a paddle.) And, then, I tried to stay focused on the directions..."two kinds of flour". Two kinds of flour! And, then, back and forth between my work station and the computer trying to read the recipe typed in what appeared to be an 8 point font and trying not to forget the quantity listed for my next ingredient during the 3 foot walk from the recipe back to the work station. Since my sifter is so small, I had to sift in batches which may defeat the whole purpose of sifting but I rather liked the little volcano-like pile forming on my cutting board which reminded me of Hawaii, which made me think of sun, which caused me to look hopefully outside the window...nope, still gray.

One thing you should know about me, dear friend, is that even though I don't bake much, when I bake chocolate chip cookies, I require a specific "dough-to-chocolate" ratio. The first time I made these cookies (yes, I've made them more than once), I followed this bloggers advice and just dumped two bags of the Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips in. Waaaaay too much chocolate in my opinion. If I wanted that much chocolate, I'd just break off part of a bar, which is healthier for you anyways. No. If I'm going to go to the trouble of making myself a sugary, buttery, white flour concoction then, I sure as heck better taste the sugar, butter and flour.

On my second round of making this little recipe and adjusting the chocolate quantity, my daughter arrived home from school, twirls into the kitchen and says, "Mom, whatcha makin'?" No response from me but upon seeing me at work says, "Oh, wow. Cookies again?"Okay, so maybe I've roused a bit of suspicion with my seemingly, sudden interest in baking, but she'll never know. Not really. Unless, of course, you tell her. So, don't. Mum's the word.

The next morning, bright and early, there I am again baking cookies. (The dough lasts forever.) My daughter thumps down the stairs and again says, "Wow, Mom. More cookies...um, thanks." To which I say, poker-faced, "Why don't you take some of these cookies to school and give them out to your friends? We'll never eat all of these." Do you see how sly and subtle that was? Now, I have just added extra insurance to my policy by hooking the friends.

On the way up to bed last night, my daughter snatches the last of the cookies. A half a cookie to be exact. She hollers out to me as she climbs the stairs, "Mom, I can't stop eating these cookies. They are so good. Oh, and Mom, my friends devoured the cookies. They just loved them." I tried to suppress the little knowing smile upon hearing this. "Ahh...my work here is done." Well, not done exactly...but, put in motion. No matter how "big" she gets, she'll keep coming home for more of these cookies...at least, that's the plan...my little, tiny...insurance plan.

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

If I may...I suggest reading this recipe in its entirety before you take on making it...no matter how desperate you may be for your own "insurance policy." They are unbelievably scrumptious. That perfect combination of just a slight crunch of the crust to a gooey, chocolaty, buttery inside. Heaven. But, to arrive at this state of near perfection, requires a "resting period of 24 to 72 hours" for the dough. For more details into the hows and whys of the "resting period", click here. Otherwise, carry on.....

2 cups minus 2 tbsp cake flour

1 2/3 cups bread flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened, room temp

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks, feves or chips, at least 60 percent cacao

(Ghiardhelli makes a 60% chip you can find in most grocery stores. I used one 12 oz bag of Whole Foods 365 brand of dark chocolate chips, originally, but my new favorite for these is a 12 oz bag of Guittard, extra-dark chocolate chips, 63% cacao.)

Sea salt

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside. (Or, you may choose to bag this step and just dump these ingredients all in at the end. It depends on your situation.)

Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough my be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop mounds of dough, approximately the size of golf balls, onto baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. I find that 14 minutes is the perfect amount of time for these cookies but I may not make them as large as the original recipe writers. I then let them cool on the sheet for about a minute or so and then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool a bit more, if someone doesn't come by and swipe one or two...or three, before the requisite cooling period is over. As the original recipe says, "Eat warm, with a big napkin." And, I'd add....."and, a tall, glass of milk." Enjoy....

NOTE: Since I posted this I have a few tips.....Make sure that ALL of your ingredients are at room temperature before mixing the dough up. Also, I did happen to make a "quick" batch in which I let the dough rest for only 12 hours and while they were delicious and devoured, they weren't near as heavenly as the ones I let "rest" for 48 hours.

All original text and photographs copyright: Carrie Minns 2009-2010