Layered Rainbow Jello and Cake

Rainbow Jello Interior

When I saw this week’ photo challenge LAYERED by Ben Huberman at WordPress, I thought of these photos immediately. The layered rainbow jello took five hours to make,- a plain layer had to set and them jello with some greek yogurt in the next layer to make the jello opaque. The creation was to photograph, not eat. I kept in the freezer for such a long time I won’t even say.

Steve took that colorful layered rainbow cake into work and everyone in the office liked it. I couldn’t eat any cause I knew how much food color was in the batter.

September 21, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Photography, Weekly Photo ChallengeTags: baking, Ben Huberman, cake, candles, dessert, food, jello, layered, postaday, rainbow, Rainbow Cake, rainbow jello, weekly photo challenge 16 Comments

Pizzelle Perfect

Baked in Bloomfield ( using a special pizzelle iron)

Maria Merante – Celebrating all things Italian since 1983

Anise or vanilla? They are delicate and delicious.

August 18, 2017August 18, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: anise, baking, Biscotti, Bloomfield, cookies, festival, Italian, Little Italy Days, Maria Merante, Merante's Gifts, neighborhood, Pittsburgh PA, Pizzelles, postaday, vanilla 15 Comments

Polish Pottery Holds Warm Blueberry Muffins

My friend J in Florida sent the blue star studded Polish pottery dish for my Fourth of July birthday.

My friend J in Pittsburgh baked blueberry muffins Sunday morning and brought them to my front porch to go with scrambled eggs.

My friend V will wonder what happened to my plan to post a whole week of bridges.

July 10, 2017July 10, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: baking, breakfast, friendship, front porch, iPhone photography, muffins, photography, Polish pottery, postaday 11 Comments

What Special Things Remind You of Your Dad?

So Many Possibilities

Reposted from Father’s Day 2011-so if you’ve been following me all this time, you’ve seen it before.

What My Dad Gave Me in 1986

There was a time when we lived in Kentucky and the kids were young, I used this Kitchen-Aid stand mixer almost everyday. It still works perfectly. I wanted this mixer so badly when we returned after living in Germany for 3 years. I don’t remember any color choice except white or off-white/almond? A couple of years ago I asked for a new beater as the old one’s coating had started to peel. The dough hook, the whisk like beater beats egg whites to stand in peaks in short order. All so useful and good. Laura was just turning three when he got it and now she’ll be 27 in a couple of months. I used to ask each child what kind of cake they wanted for their birthday. That year Laura asked for a “Piggy Cake” although I am not sure why. Mark asked for a State of Kentucky cake and Matthew a GI-Joe cake. Good thing my friend J and I took a class in Cake Decorating in Grafenwoehr!

I was thinking about what to post for Father’s Day this year to remember my dad. This gift from him has mixed a lot of cake batter and bread dough in our house. Last year I posted a slideshow of my dad’s life in a minute. This year I’m posting a photo of his generous present that’s been well used and appreciated.

He’s been gone almost nine years. Missing him everyday, not just today. What special things remind you of your father?

Update: It will be fifteen years my dad’s been gone- come October.

AND The Kitchen-Aid still works perfectly!

June 18, 2017June 18, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Family, PhotographyTags: baking, cake, Dad, Father's Day, kitchen, Kitchen-Aid, mixer, postaday, Roy Hendricks 13 Comments

Maria Bakes Peach Cookies

Maybe you’ve been to a celebration and seen the fancy cookies that look exactly like a peach?

Meet Maria Costa. If you live in Pittsburgh and need alterations on just about any fabric or piece clothing,upholstery or some throw pillows to match your couch, Maria is a seamstress.

But on Thursday she was baking peach cookies for her grandson’s First Holy Communion.

The first step. Another day she’ll be cooking a vanilla pudding and filling the two halves of a ” peach”, “gluing” them together with a finger of the filling spread on the bottoms and rolling the joined cookies in Peach Schnapps and then granulated sugar. She might add a leaf or two but no pretend stem as someone once choked on one. (Survived)

I was picking up my friend Barb to go to the art store and she asked if I could pick her up at Maria’s home instead of her house. I thought I was just picking her up. Turns out Barb and Maria been baking all morning and Barb was taking good notes. I was thrilled to smell the tempting baking aroma and see part of the process of the baking of the peach cookies.

They’d spent the morning baking. The dough used fifteen eggs as she thought they were on the small side but the recipe calls for a dozen!

I saw the giant wooden spoon she used to make the stiff dough. Mixers have been broken previously.

Another day Maria will cook the filling and put the two hard halves of the peach together. Roll them in Peach Schnappes( a hint of rosy food coloring added) and then confectioner’s sugar. Each “peach” will rest in a pretty pleated cupcake paper on a platter.

Maria showed us the seedlings starting in her backyard garden. Her fig tree.

Maria pointed out the province where she’s from- Calabria- Vibo Valentia Italy

I hope I get invited with my friend to see the rest of the process in making the fancy peach cookies. It was really nice to be welcomed into her kitchen. The heart of her home.

April 21, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: baking, cookie dough, fig tree, First Communion, garden, grandson, Italian food, Italian heritage, kitchen, peach cookies, Peach Schnapps, photography, postaday, seamstress, sewing 10 Comments

St. Joseph at St. Michael in St. Augustine

St. Joseph Feast Day March 19

You might remember another St. Joseph Feast Day post Carmela baked all of these breads

carmelaStJoseph

NPR story about zeppoles (pastry) – Providence Rhode Island at LaSalle Bakery

and click to read a collection of St. Joseph Day recipes at the New York Times

March 20, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: bakery, baking, bread, church, Italian pastry, photography, postaday, recipes, religious statue, St. Augustine FL, St. Joseph, St. Joseph Feast Day, zeppole 9 Comments

Macarons – First Attempt

Macarons go for about $2.50 apiece at the French bakery. Martha Stewart said you could bake them at home for about 18 cents apiece. My friend V did some quick calculations in my kitchen and seems it’s more like 50 cents each

I’ve watched a video several times, purchased the best ingredients, and splurged for a baking mat with perfect circles embossed in the material. (Not factoring the equipment into the cost.)

Here’s the result. Some of the macarons seemed a bit chewy. Did I underbake them? Was the humidity a factor? Did I whip the egg whites correctly? Did I fold the dry ingredients sufficiently? I let them sit before I put them into the oven. Perhaps I used too much batter on each circle as the seemed to puff up like white mushrooms. I will watch another video I found The Science of Macarons. If you have made them before please share any tips.

I got the ganache right. Had to put it over hot water after awhile as it firmed up, though.

I found another recipe to try next batch.

January 25, 2017January 25, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: almond, baking, cookies, dessert, French Bakery, ganache, kitchen, macarons, photography, postaday 27 Comments

Friends in Florida AND Massachusetts Bake Aunt Rhea’s Lebkuchen

Aunt Rhea’s Lebkuchen recipe and this recipe was handed down from her mother’s father. (So from the 1800’s)

A double guest blog today!

This evening I heard from two dear friends.we met at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1975. (Both were Army midwives -now retired, one delivered my son Mark in 1976)

Baked by Linda in Massachusetts – used light brown sugar she had on hand and it came out fine

And this batch baked by Kristin in Florida whose husband says it tastes like his mother’s -baked in Germany

Thanks for sharing your photos with me and all my blog followers,

Love,

Ruth

P.S.

and here is a response to the to the Annual Lebkuchen Baking post of 2016

Ruth,

My lebkuchen recipe is really a lot different….has honey and a bit of baking soda and is rolled into rectangle cookies. Then the icing has lemon juice and grated lemon peel. I think I’ll try your recipe along with mine this year. Oh, mine has chopped blanched almonds along with the chopped fruit. Different part of Germany, probably. Mine is from Bamberg and Wurzburg area. Pat Kelly

December 23, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: Army, baking, German, Germany, guest blog, lebkuchen, midwives, photography, postaday, recipe 5 Comments

Annual Lebkuchen Baking

For the Recipe click Aunt Rhea’s Lebkuchen Recipe. She’ll celebrate her birthday Monday.

I mailed it to Aunt Rhea’s son, my cousin Chris.

I hope it tastes familiar. Love.

December 16, 2016December 16, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: baking, German dessert, holiday baking, kitchen, lebkuchen, photography, postaday, recipe 11 Comments

Wildflour Bakery Anchorage, Alaska- Guest Blog

My wish is you get to Anchorage Alaska and taste Wildflour Bakery pies. Although I am back in the lower 48 today I have some more Alaska posts.

When visiting friends in Homer Alaska, we met some very nice people in their interesting home that our host had helped build.

The first thing they did was offer us pie and coffee. Who could resist?

Three types of apple pie. As we sampled a sliver of each type, we talked about the excellent flavor and crust (one gluten- free) and then I learned about the pie creator, Wildflour Bakery Owner Olivia Allen of Anchorage. Although I took a few photos of the pie (see below) I wanted to know more.

Meet bakery owner Olivia Allen- photograph by Julia Bevins, I asked Julia if she would like to be guest blogger! What a great photo.

Then I called Olivia. She returned my call just as we were entering our departing flight but emailed me more photos and information about Wildflour Bakery. Here is her blog link Look into the World See Olivia’s watercolor illustrations and follow her on Instagram Wildflour Bakery Handcrafted pies and galettes made with foraged wild berries, organic ingredients and lots of love 🌸

Olivia writes-

Wildflour Bakery uses locally sourced and foraged wild berries, herbs, flowers and backyard honey to craft beautiful and sweet treats with creative flair.

Each pie or galette is handcrafted with the intention of highlighting the Alaskan spirit of our wild spaces, near and far.

Beautifully photographed by Julia Bevins.

Gallery of photos below , sent to me by Olivia

Here are my pie photos so you see why I needed Olivia to send me some more.

And here is her artwork. I love the part about “serve generous slices.” Yes!!

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We fairly well decimated the pies! You can see why I needed more photos to create this blog post as you look at my three photos I took at the kitchen table.

A few years ago I featured friend and pie judge Rob Bard.on National Pie Day. I know he would have enjoyed the pies.

September 19, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: Anchorage Alaska, apple pie, apples, artist, bakery, bakery owner, baking, blueberries, dessert, Farmer's Market, galette, guest blog, illustration, Julia Bevins, Olivia Allen, people at work, photography, pie, pie baking, postaday, Spenard Farmer's Market, Wildflour Bakery 10 Comments

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