It’s 12am, Do You Know Where Your Cookies Are?
You're awoken by the sound of distant thunder. Flashes of heat lighting stream through the drapes and reflect off the wall. Restless, you lay awake in bed, a thin sheet your only protection against the crisp night air. The heavy blanket long since set aside for colder weather. The scent of imminent rain filters through the open windows and a new breeze disturbs the curtains.
Curiously drawn, you carelessly throw off the sheet and pad downstairs in your bare feet. The light from the refrigerator floods the kitchen and you squint, you're eyes not accustomed to the sudden brightness. You snatch a midnight snack and welcome the darkness back.
Blindly, you find your way to the window. The storm rolls in, clouds of violet and black blanket the sky decorated with intermittent shimmers of silver and gold. You nibble idly on your Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookie as the rain falls in an impetuous torrent.
These cookies are fresh, sweet and quickly disappearing. Just like Summer. Best enjoyed with an accompaniment of thunder and lighting.
Misty The Conqueror.
Don't let that adorable face fool you. She might be comically chubby, covered in thick colourful fur and slow as molasses, but she's a ninja just waiting for her moment to strike.
As cute as cats are they're just as mean. Evil. Malicious. Diabolical even. Be rest assured they're plotting to kill you in your sleep right now. And the best part is you know I'm right. How many times have you nearly tripped and fell walking down the stairs because sweet Spot decided to dart out of the darkness to weave between your legs? Or maybe Mittens thought it would be fun one night to pounce on your half covered feet just as you were dozing off. Perhaps little Fluffy became so entranced by your incessant blinking during a perfectly normal staring contest that she lunged at your eye lashes. Then you just turn around and pat their fuzzy little noggins while cooing sweet nothings.
Misty here is a swirling contradiction of good and evil. She's an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in five pounds of fur. She was born feral, mean and ratty but she transformed into a squishy, lovable fuzzball. The only wildness that remains in her lies in her eyes, expressive and intent.
Normally Misty isn't violent. She's the biggest cat among the three and just as big of a coward. Poor Misty had some tree sap stuck in her fur so Lee and I, being the good masters that we are, went about removing it for her. Lee held her and I started trying to cut the sticky stuff out of her fur. She didn't like that. In fact, sweet Misty disliked that so much, she freaked out, latched onto Lee's bare arm and began clawing and biting it repeatedly. I guess the best defence is a good offence, right Misty?
Needless to say Misty still has sap in her fur and Lee's arm is now covered in cuts.
I guess what I'm trying to say is after a long day filled with exciting and relentless cat attacks it's just nice to sit down to a steaming plate of pasta. Nothing says I hope you don't get a raging infection from those angry cat bites like Lemon Pesto Linguine.
Black, Yellow and Sweet All Over.
I spent all afternoon trying to think of something clever to say here. The words did not come. I'm at a loss. I'm forced to resort to distraction.
Look, pretty pictures!
Oh Happy Day!
Today is a two fold celebration. Hot Polka Dot turns one and yours truly turns twenty five!
A year ago today I decided it was time to explore this new passion of mine. I opened my recipe box as well as my heart and was met by a flood of wonderful people. A few of you have been around since the humble beginnings of my little pink food blog. You watched me struggle with custard, yell at bread and divulge some tried and true family recipes. Most of you are relatively new to my corner of the internet. Old friends and new friends, I appreciate you all more than I can express. I am so thankful for your lovely comments, sweet emails, and helpful suggestions. Starting this blog was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am so excited to begin year two!
I thought long and hard about what type of cake to make for this happy occasion. Something that was indicative of my personality and also at home on Hot Polka Dot. As you well know I am in love with lemon. That much is obvious. You may not know that white chocolate is my favourite type of chocolate even though it doesn't have cocoa and isn't technically chocolate. Even stranger still is that I actually kind of hate buttercream and instead prefer cream cheese icing. So here we have it. Lemon White Chocolate Whisper Cake. A delightfully light white butter cake with a hint of white chocolate, filled with lemon curd and topped off with sinfully smooth vanilla cream cheese icing. And of course I couldn't forget the polka dots! That would be silly.
I decided not to be selfish and extend the celebration to all of you! You may not get a slice of this cake, but you do get a chance to win this lovely polka dot apron. It's got ruffles. It's got a pocket. It's got a bow. It's even got adjustable straps. What more could you ask for? A Hot Polka Dot Mom original made just for you! Many of you were admiring the pink and black one I was wearing in my video and now you can have one of your own! Just think, you could make this adorable polka dot cake while sporting your pretty polka dot apron!
Aaaand...
As if that wasn't enough, I'll also throw in a $25 Bake It Pretty gift certificate. You could buy lots of cool goodies like Black Polka Dot Paper Straws, Orange Creamsicle Baker's Twine and a Cakewich Silicone Baking Mold. And these Dashing Dot Baking Cups even match the apron! The cuteness is almost too much handle!
When Life Gives You Lemons.
In a family you operate like satellites that orbit around the home. When one moves the others shift to compensate. So when Lee starts working a late shift and doesn't get home until 2am some nights we all have to make some adjustments.
I miss him in the evenings and I stay up late to welcome him home. It doesn't feel right to go to bed alone. It's dark and cold without my personal heater. Go to bed late, wake up late. Being that it's winter I run out of daylight so I haven't been able to find the time to bake much.
You have to make the best of a bad situation. Cake helps. Sandwiches too. And texting. Lots and lots of texting. Strangely I've been finding myself watching a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but that's neither here nor there. I'm not responsible for the bad late night reruns I watch while in a semi-comatose state.
So when life gives you lemons make Cranberry Pomegranate Lemon Yogurt Cake.
That's how that goes right?
Last But Not Least.
These Apple Chips are possibly the easiest thing I've ever baked. Four ingredients. That's all you need to make your own chips. It would be interesting to play around with the seasoning to create savoury or sweet combinations. I may keep that in mind for the future. This may not be the last time you see these crispy things.
And they're baked, not fried, so you don't have to feel guilty about stuffing your face. Which is good because they're insanely addictive. As long as you have cinnamon, sugar and a little time to waste you'll be rewarded with the most delicious snack.
If you're lazy, as I am sometimes, you could always buy Apple Chips but, be warned, they're pretty pricy for a tiny little bag. Plus if you buy them you won't be able to perfume your house with the amazing scent of apple and cinnamon. Possibly the greatest smell in the world.
Last, but certainly not least, here is the appetizer recipe from my Autumn Dinner Party. These Apple Chips are perhaps the most anticipated item on the menu so I hope I didn't leave you in suspense for too long.
Honey for My Honey.
Just bear with me here and allow me to put my serious hat on for a few minutes. If you don't want to read on about a gooey love story and how ridiculously giddy it makes me then I'd suggest you stop now or skip ahead to the cake part. I won't tell. Promise.
A year ago today I had bangs and actually pulled it off nicely. A year ago today I lived three provinces away in a basement apartment where I hid my cat from my landlords. A year ago today I spent more of my free time on the phone than other people spend breathing or blinking. A year ago today I was a bundle of nerves waiting patiently for the love of my life to walk through my door.
We hadn't even met in person and I loved him more than life itself. Naive? Of course. True. Certainly.
Today I've grown out my hair and it doesn't even annoy me. Today I'm sure I have more laugh lines and I don't even care because of how they were gained. Today I woke up next to the man that is my match in every way. Today is our one year anniversary and I couldn't be happier.
Because he holds the truck door for me every time. Because of how safe I feel in his arms. Because of his amazing daughter. Because of how we finish each others sentences. Because of the way he laughs when we do the fist bump explosion. Because of the way his hand fits into mine. I made this Honey Lemon Pound Cake for my Lee, my honey. I love you.
I’m Cool Like That.
Like most of you out there I've been trying to figure out any way possible to avoid turning on the oven in this summer heat. Lots on BBQ pork chops and salads. It's not enough to avoid heating up the house but I'm also trying to devise ways to cool down too.
Sitting directly in front of the air conditioner is good, if not a little restricting.
Pony tails are nice. Just the act of getting my thick hair off the back of my neck is a relief.
Popsicles help. Yes they do. Especially the orange ones. I think they're a couple degrees more refreshing.
Ice cream too. Oh my yes. Lots and lots of ice cream.
Have you ever been to a Marble Slab Creamery? If not you need to get yourself to one as soon as humanly possible. You'll thank me later. It's custom. It's fancy. It's expensive. It makes you feel like you should be clutching your White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl chocolate dipped waffle cone with your pinkies out.
After reading a recent post by Brown Eyed Baker on how you can make ice cream without an ice cream maker it was decided. I needed to do this. There was no way around it. I do still plan on getting an ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but in the mean time I can still live it up in custom made ice cream fabulousness.
But I made it frozen yogurt because I kind of prefer it. Or at least that's what I tell myself.
A Slice of Happiness.
I made a pie. Can you tell?
Did I bake this pie while dancing around the kitchen to Burn the Witch by Queens of the Stone Age? Why yes. How did you know?
Did I bake a pie while sporting an adorable navy blue apron with little red tomato polka dots? Of course! Seriously, where are you hiding?
It may come as a shock to you that this is the very first pie I've ever baked myself. I've aided in the baking of pies, oh yes, but that normally consisted of snacking on sugar and cinnamon coated apples or sitting impatiently in front of the oven. I've also aided in the consumption of said pies. I'm quite experienced in that area of pie expertise.
I've never actually rolled out the dough, filled the shell and covered that sucker up with more dough. I know, it's blasphemous really.
So I've done it. Here's my proof. It's scrumptious.
Mousse and Other Nonesuch Things.
I have a few pet peeves. Ok maybe more than a few, but I won't make you labour through reading all that, so here are just a few:
Dried toothpaste in the sink. A sticky nightmare to clean off and you just know it's been in someone's mouth.
The word flimsy. It sounds too much like my own name. Call me crazy, but I don't like it.
When people mispronounce or misspell words we use everyday like supposebly for supposedly, presentating for presenting and know for no. That's no way to communicate people.
A sink filled with dirty dishes next to an empty dishwasher. No further explanation is necessary.
Soap scum. So getting clean somehow makes the shower dirty. Really? How fair is that?
Bugs. Just get your creepiness out of my house! Nobody likes you!
Fingerprints on my glasses. Call me obsessive compulsive, but I prefer to see out of those things.
When you peel the lid off an open tub of cream cheese and the last person to use it has left the metal seal on it.
That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you experiment with a completely new recipe for the first time and you're sure something horrible is going to go wrong.
The best part is when that bad feeling is replaced by a good feeling that causes you to pump your fists in the air and jump up and down. Yeah, I love me some good feelings.
The whole afternoon I was worried about how the mousse layer would turn out in my Lemon Blackberry Mousse Sponge Cake. I'd never made a mousse layer in a cake before. It would surely be a catastrophe. I nervously opened the fridge dozens of times to check on it and I fretted over it when I gingerly poked the parchment paper with my finger. I was sure that when I peeled back that parchment paper that all heck would break loose and my mousse would come pouring out like some unstoppable force. Then I'd have to cry in a puddle of my own purple failure.
Luckily that was all in my imagination. I mean, look at it! I don't like to brag, but come on really, It's perfect! You know how much I like to make things pretty and I'm proud to say this is one of the prettiest things I've ever created. Pretty and pretty tasty to boot.
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