This is a little departure from the normal photography I post here. I thought, since I Instagram just about every dish I make, why not try and do it justice with my "big girl camera"?
It's well known in my circle of family and friends that I love food. I love cooking it, I love eating it, I love learning more about it and I am obsessed with cookbooks/magazines/shows. And it just so happens, I married a man who shares that same love. We are passing that onto our 3 year old son. I'm not sure how many 3 year olds get excited about eating radicchio or can identify haricot vert in the latest Food Network magazine (his magazine of choice).
Today, I decided to get overly ambitious for a Monday. I try and rotate our meals, as to not get stuck in a rut. I change up the flavor profiles, I go with the seasons and I try to use as much of our homegrown food as possible. I am fortunate enough to have a husband who plants just about anything that the soil allows and raises chickens. So even, through the winter months I'm able to grab our own eggs and veggies from the cold cellar or freezer. Well today, I decided to make him and my son happy by making a cake.
The recipe I found was from Cooking Light. It was calling out to me. A pecan spice cake with maple frosting, yum, right?(http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/layer-cake-recipes-00412000069156/page3.html). Before I even start cooking/baking, I always empty the dishwasher and get every ingredient and tool I need out. It's kind of my ritual. If I don't do it, my OCD kicks in and I get frustrated.
And then on to the process.
Sometimes it just feels good to grind your own spices. Letting that aroma waft over you is so much better than opening up a jar of shelved spices.
And here is my little eager helper! Getting your kids in the kitchen not only is fun, but it teaches them great life skills and math!
And here is one of our daily presents from our girls (a.k.a. our brood of hens). Nothing beats a fresh farm egg.
The careful folding in of the buttermilk and the flour.
Toasting pecans
Just like I take out all my ingredients and clear the dishwasher, I clean and put away as I go. I feel it's incredibly important to keep a clean work space.
And now that the cakes were in the oven, we get to the best part...the frosting! Well, things don't always go perfect in the kitchen. My first attempt was an epic fail. It was a little too fancy to do while chasing around your kid. So I "settled" on a fan favorite in our house, cream cheese frosting courtesy of Martha Stewart (http://www.marthastewart.com/317364/maple-cream-cheese-frosting).
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| Oh boy. Mommy must love me! |
And now, crazy me, I'm onto making gnocchi for the first time. Again...on a Monday. Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our kitchen! There may be more things like this to come. I apologize in advance if your stomach grumbles.
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