OLIVE OIL CAKE

 If you're looking for a rich and tender cake to top off a meal that's on the light side.  This olive oil cake is the answer.  I had been intrigued for many years when I ran across an olive oil cake recipe while searching for desserts.....but, it just didn't sound right to me.  I finally made it past my fear of the unknown and gave it a try......

I have to tell you....I'm a huge fan!  So yummy, with a crispy sugar top and a super moist interior.  You can't go wrong with this one.  I've made it twice now and I will tell you, I much preferred my 9" springform pan to just a regular cake pan.  Main reason, there's a lot of batter and my springform pan can hold it all (I'll spare you the details of the cake pan that didn't hold it all). 

The other gem about this cake, is how easily it all comes together.  Prep time is all of about 15 minutes. 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 ½ cups plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar (divided)

3 large eggs (room temp)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ¼ cups whole milk

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly oil a 9 inch springform cake pan using olive oil and dust with flour.  Line the bottom with a round parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer beat together 1 ½ cups sugar and eggs on high speed using the paddle attachment.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.  With the mixer on low, gradually stream in the olive oil.  Beat in the milk, zest, and lemon juice on low until well combined.  With the mixer on low speed gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined.  Pour into the prepared pan, and spread the top into an even layer using a small spatula.  Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tsp. of sugar.  

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.   Remove the cake from the pan by inverting onto another flat surface.  Remove and discard the parchment and flip again onto your serving platter. 

Enjoy!

Recipe c/o:  www.preppykitchen.com

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH SCONES

 I recently hosted a "family" baby shower for my daughter with an afternoon tea theme.  Since one of our favorite outings is enjoying afternoon tea near and far, it just made sense to celebrate this special time in her life with something she/we truly enjoy.  

In putting together the menu, I knew I had to have Traditional English Scones.  But, I never expected not to find a local option to purchase them.  Not to be discouraged, I went about scouring recipes, videos, instagram, to see if this was something I could make.  

I landed on a recipe/video by Paul Hollywood from The Great British Baking Show.  I have to say, the recipe was amazingly easy to follow and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

500 g/1lb 1oz strong white flour  (aka bread flour), plus a little extra for rolling out

6 Tbsp. softened butter, plus a little extra to grease the baking tray

6 Tbsp. sugar

2 free-range eggs

5 tsp baking powder

8½ fl oz milk

1 egg, beaten with a little salt (for glazing)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425F
• Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and line it with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).
• Put 450g/15½oz (just shy of 4 cups) of the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingers to create a breadcrumb-like mixture.
• Add the sugar, eggs and baking powder and use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently. Make sure you mix all the way down to the bottom and incorporate all of the ingredients.
• Now add half of the milk and keep turning the mixture gently with the spoon to combine. Then add the remaining milk a little at a time and bring everything together to form a very soft, wet dough. (You may not need to add all of the milk.)
• Sprinkle most of the remaining flour onto a clean work surface. Tip the soft dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. The mixture will be wet and sticky.
• Use your hands to fold the dough in half, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. By folding and turning the mixture in this way (called 'chaffing'), you incorporate the last of the flour and add air. Do this a few times until you’ve formed a smooth dough. If the mixture becomes too sticky use some extra flour to coat the mixture or your hands to make it more manageable. Be careful not to overwork your dough.
• Next roll the dough out: sprinkle flour onto the work surface and the top of the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll up from the middle and then down from the middle. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and continue to roll until it’s about 1in thick. ‘Relax’ the dough slightly by lifting the edges and allowing the dough to drop back onto the work surface.
• Using a pastry cutter, stamp out rounds from the pastry and place them onto the baking tray. Dip the edge of the pastry cutter in flour to make it easier to cut out the scones without them sticking. Don’t twist the cutter – just press firmly, then lift it up and push the dough out.
• Once you’ve cut 4 or 5 rounds you can re-work and re-roll the dough to make it easier to cut out the remaining rounds. Any leftover dough can be worked and rolled again, but the resulting scones won’t be as fluffy.
• Place the scones on the baking tray and leave them to rest for a few minutes to let the baking powder work. Then use a pastry brush (or your finger if you don’t have a brush) to glaze them with the beaten egg and salt mixture. Be careful to keep the glaze on the top of the scones. (If it runs down the sides it will stop them rising evenly.)
• Bake the scones in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the scones are risen and golden-brown.
• Leave the scones to cool, then split in half and add butter, jam and clotted cream to serve.

Since I had so many items to prepare.  I did make a first batch weeks ahead (they can be frozen for 1-3 months) and did a second batch just two days ahead of the shower.  

Of course, what's a scone without some Devonshire cream to spread on top?  So....yes, I found a recipe for that and made a double batch. 

Ingredients:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and salt in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. 

Add heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

My son-in-law loves this so much, he eats it by the spoonful!  

Don't forget to add your jam on top of that.....I had orange marmalade and raspberry jam for my guests. 

I would highly recommend watching Paul Hollywood's video.  It's very straightforward and he has some expert techniques that were very helpful.  

I'll be sharing more about the shower soon!   It truly was my "labor of love" for my daughter's "labor of love" which is happening in early 2026!

CUSTOM OVERALLS

With the joy of our first Grandchild on the way, I've been doing lots of sewing lately!  It's been a minute since I've sewn baby/toddler/kid's clothes, so I dug deep in my commercial pattern drawers and found some classic patterns.  I've also been creating some of my own patterns, so that I can also grade them into other sizes.

I have to give credit to my husband on this project, since he was the one who asked if I wanted his old jeans to use to make something for the baby.   He got my wheels spinning and what happened next was really fun!

What I chose with the first pair of his jeans was to create a pair of overalls.  I didn't have any pattern pieces for this project.  I was actually "engineering" it as I went along.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 You can see from these pictures, my husband definitely gets his money's worth from his jeans.  Not only are they completely worn through, but because he's lost weight, they were just hanging on him.    It was definitely time for some new pair in a smaller size.            

      

How I tackled the project was to first determine the elements I knew that I wanted to be a part of the overalls.  For instance, the waistband, belt loops, pockets, brand labels.   I totally ripped the jeans apart, setting those items aside.  I then, "opened up" the inseam so that I had a flat layer of denim to work with.               

                                                                          

I took the "change pocket" and brand label and used them on the bib that I had created from one of the pant legs.  I constructed my own waistband from his, and re-attached the belt loops where I wanted them, after I sewed the bib to the waistband.     

I knew I wanted to use one of his back pockets, and it only seemed right to use it on the back.  I removed the "relaxed fit" label from the inside of the jeans and re-sewed it to the back pocket.                                                                                                           

Finally, I created side pockets, using my husband's jeans as a point of reference.  These are "working pockets" with actual pocket bags on the inside.    In order to make it easier for diaper changes, I added snap tape to the inseams.  

Using some size charts I found online, these should be a12 month size....Obviously, every baby is different, so periodic checks as they grow will be the true indicator as to when they might be able to actually wear them.    

My husband had five pair of jeans he was going to "toss".....so as you can imagine, I've tackled a few more projects that I'll be sharing and still have more denim to work with.  You can probably see that these overalls were constructed from a different pair of jeans that weren't quite as faded as the picture I took.  

 

I'm so looking forward to seeing my Grandbaby in these....and, these are gender neutral, so if there should be more babies in the future....well, you get the idea. 

DARK CHOCOLATE CHERRY BLONDIES

 If you like Blondies, this is the one for you.  I will tell you, I modified the "add-ins" the recipe originally called for, so I'm going to take credit for the amazing flavor explosion of dark chocolate and dried cherries in these blondies. 

They are super easy to prep.  Plan on about 20 minutes.  Bake time is roughly 30 minutes.  So basically, within an hour you can be enjoying your first bite!  Oh, and in case you're wondering, the original combination was dark chocolate and cranberries.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temp

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. orange zest*

½ tsp. baking powder 

½ tsp. kosher salt, or ¼ tsp. table salt

1 1/3 cup flour

3/4 dark chocolate chips or chunks

3/4 cup dried cherries

*I've made these twice and left the zest out.  I just never seem to have this spice in my pantry.  

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 9 inch square pan with a parchment paper sling, or grease with non-stick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, sugar, and melted butter.  Add in the egg, yolk, vanilla and orange zest.  Whisk until well incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Add the baking powder, salt and flour to the bowl and mix by hand until well combined.  Stir for about 30 seconds to purposely develop a little bit of gluten, which will give your blondies more chewiness.  Fold in the chocolate and cherries.

Transfer the mixture into your prepared pan and spread evenly. 

Bake for 28-33 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Set the pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes before slicing into squares (or as I did, triangles).  

Enjoy!

Adapted from:  www.sallysbakingaddiction.com

INDIVIDUAL FRUIT PIZZA

 This is the second time I've made these and it's been a hit both times.    It starts with a homemade sugar cookie.  Rather than using a store bought variety of cream cheese dip, I chose to make my own version as well.  Here's what you need to know if you'd like to make these.

I used a sugar cookie recipe that I found in my Mom's cookbook.  It's the Sugar Drop Cookies from the "Joy of Cooking" cookbook.  

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup cooking oil

2 eggs 

1 tsp. vanilla *

*I like almond flavoring, so I went with ½ tsp. vanilla and ½ tsp. almond extract

DIRECTIONS:

Sift all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and 3/4 cup cooking oil.  Beat the sugar and oil together until well combined using a mixer.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each is added.  Add extract(s). 

Add the dry ingredients all at once and beat well.  Shape the dough into ½ inch balls.  Dip the balls in granulated sugar.  You can also choose to flatten them with your finger to the desired size as I did.   I tried a couple from the "ball" stage to see how much they flattened, and they do stay pretty plump, but they were nice and soft.  

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  I will tell you, this timeframe was way too long.  I like softer cookies, and in the case of this dessert, they should be soft (maybe a little golden on the edges).  Next time I'm going to check them at about 8 minutes and make my decision from there.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 oz. package of cream cheese

7 oz. marshmallow fluff or Jet Puff marshmallow creme (this is what I found in my grocery)

Soften the cream cheese and mix the two ingredients together with a mixer.  That's it!!  It's so perfect for this....a little sweet, but it does not overpower the fruit which is the real star of the show.

As for the fruit, that's totally up to you.  Strawberries, blackberries, mandarin oranges and kiwi are definitely my "go to".   This time I also added some mango.  Then just have fun "creating" your very own design. 

Refrigerate before serving.  My husband actually loves these even the day after, since the cookie softens up even further.  Just cover them with plastic wrap if storing overnight.  I keep them on the cookie sheet so the plastic wrap is suspended above the cookies.  

Enjoy!

BRUGGE (PARIS and LONDON)

This year's Mother/Daughter trip was another one for the books and came together in a very unusual way.  I actually had another trip completely planned, when my daughter approached me about going to Paris.  Reason being, the Louvre in Paris was hosting its first ever fashion exhibit from January-July, and she wanted me to be able to see it.    Since we had both been to Paris, I decided we could head there to see the exhibit and then add some additional cities to round out our trip.  I had always wanted to visit Brugge, Belgium and thought finishing our trip in London, more specifically to Windsor castle would make a great trip!   So with eight weeks notice, I was able to cancel the other trip and confirm this itinerary instead. 

 

Our first city was Paris.  I knew that I wanted to see Notre Dame since it had just reopened (on December 7, 2024) after the 2019 fire.  The last time we were in Paris, it was closed for repairs.  And my first time I was there was so long ago (I was in either high school or college) it was a blur.  I had forgotten how huge it is and the interior was gleaming due to the renovation!                                                                                                                                                                          

I also knew that I wanted to take a Seine river cruise since I'd not done that on my previous visits.  I thought a sunset cruise would be pretty.  It was beyond pretty!  We booked an 8pm cruise and experienced the most beautiful sunset and just as the trip was coming to an end, the Eiffel tower lit up and started twinkling.                             

The haute couture exhibit at the Louvre was amazing.  It was staged on the first floor of the Richelieu wing of the Louvre.  Nearly 9,000-square-meters of the Decorative Arts wing was transformed into a walkable fashion mood board.  Over 70 garments; rare loans and archival contributions, from 45 houses set against the Louvre's immense catalogue of paintings, furniture, and decorative objects from the Middle Ages through the 19th century were included.                                                                            

 The following day we were on a Eurotrain to Brussels, followed by a regional train to Brugge.  We checked into our hotel mid-afternoon, and headed out to find a bite to eat.  It felt like we stepped into a fairytale city!  I absolutely fell in love with Brugge.  It's such a lovely city, with more than 30 churches.. Of those 30 churches, 14 still hold weekly masses, and 13 are open for public visits. There were a total of 25 windmills in Brugge....4 remain today.  Most notably and deliciously....there are over 90 dedicated chocolate shops!  It was so quaint, easily walkable and every corner you turned was a picture postcard.  

                    

From Brugge, we left for London by regional train to Brussels and then the Eurostar (35 minutes of the trip is underwater through the Chunnel) to London.  We ran around the afternoon we arrived to take in some sights (with intermittent rain).    Our big adventure was the following day when we went to see Windsor castle. 

I thoroughly enjoyed our Windsor visit.  Can't say I wasn't disappointed that no pictures allowed in the castle or St. George's chapel.  I had booked afternoon tea after our Windsor visit and then finished that whirlwind part of the trip with an evening out at the theatre.  

It was an amazing trip.   Memories galore and "bucket list" items that I'm thrilled that I got to take advantage of.

Until next year.........