Joy in Creating

Quote of the Day:  We are adventuring in the chartless seas of imagination. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Children teach us so much about experiencing Joy in creating.  As you enter Lake Carlos from the shores of Mount Carmel, you must walk over layers of rock.  You can think of it as a bad thing as they dig into your feet.  Or, you can see it as a good thing, as it gives you endless tools for building a tower of rocks as you sit in the cool water.

You might discover that your new friend who is really your second cousin likes to build, too, and you make a pier together.

Maybe you and your daughters create a sand turtle to live on the beach. 

What you have really discovered is that making something doesn't cost anything.  It takes as long as it needs to, and it lasts forever in your mind, or as a picture, or only until the next wave comes up and washes it away.

I was talking to my oldest son about the magic of computers and how information that seems lost can be recovered.  He said, "That just shows you that once something is created, it's never completely gone."

Summer is slipping into the past, lingering in our memories, and yet, we cherish what we've made.

Journaling Prompt:  Where did you go this summer?  What memories did you make?  Which ones will linger the longest in the snapshot of your mind?

Extreme Artist Date - ND Style

Quote of the Day:  You decide to do something, perform one small action, and suddenly it's a tide, the momentum is going, and there's no possibility of turning back.  Somehow, even though you thought you foresaw all that would happen, you didn't know the pace would pick up so.  Amanda Cross, American writer

Here I am at Stella's Italian restaurant in Fargo, ND with my two artist friends, JeMA and Roxane. Click on their names to get their versions of the date.

We're having our own version of an Eat Pray Love experience.  Roxane called it an "Extreme Artist Date."  The idea comes from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, where you take yourself out and experience whatever it is that inspires you.  In this case, our friendship, good food, and artistic places on the Plains.

After dinner, we saw Letters to Juliet, then spent some time at the Sky Prairie lounge on the roof of the Hotel Donaldson, where we were guests.

The weekend started to take on a Mediterranean feel with the pasta, the garlic, the wine, and the movie that transports us to the rolling hills of Italy, where romance comes to those who wait.

The night was sticky and hot, but we enjoyed hanging out on the rooftop - something we couldn't do in January in Fargo!

We shared our plans as we build our lives around our art.  We encouraged one another to create, share, and become successful.  The Hotel Donaldson promotes local artists and authors.  We could imagine our works being displayed there.

In the morning, we stood on the balcony, feeling the heat of the day and the hope of possibilities.

We had lunch at a Greek restaurant.

The lemonades and teas come in many exotic flavors.  JeMA had pomegranate, Roxane - blueberry, and I thought I'd take a little passion fruit in mine.  Mmm.  Great compliments to the Greek salad and light, but tasty skewers.

We visited the Plains Arts Museum.  I was fascinated by the display that paired The Beetles White Album songs to various artwork.

Then, we had coffee at a local shop that displays local art.  JeMA showed us her latest pieces.  Her smaller ones, called JeMs, are particularly fascinating.  Roxane asked to buy one and named it "The Story."

With the Prairie winds in our hair, joy in our hearts, and art exuding from our pores, we blow back into the world, ready to create, share, and inspire.

Journaling Prompt:  Describe a get-away, near or far, that inspired you.

Sparkling Peach Cobbler . . . with Prosecco, Ginger, and Honey

Okay, so you're probably thinking, "Ugh . . . yet another seasonal cobbler recipe. How original."

Am I right?

That's fine, I'm not offended. I've been around the baking-blog block a few times and I know the score. That said, however, I simply must impress upon you that there are peach cobbler recipes, and then there peach cobbler recipes. 

What do I mean? Well, let me ask you this: What do you get when you combine juicy ripe peaches, a buttery dough enhanced with a smidgen of candied ginger, and bubbly Prosecco, in a filling that's been augmented with a bit of citrus zest, fresh grated nutmeg, and honey? I'll tell you what you don't get. You don't get your grandma's dense, sugary, soggy-biscuit laden cobbler.

It really is, as they say, all in the flavor. Sparkling peach cobbler boasts flavors that are complex and  a little daring. They defy expectation, but do so delightfully. The cobbler has a bit of a bite, which is an element of surprise. I didn't necessarily expect my family to fully appreciate and enjoy such a nontraditional twist on a beloved and old fashioned dessert, but--lo and behold--they all did. This cobbler doesn't just defy taste expectations, it exceeds them.

Thank heaven that nice cold bottle of Prosecco in the fridge, procured a few weeks ago expressly for this recipe, was finally put to proper use. But, besides using the Prosecco, this cobbler served another purpose for me as well. Because my oven died immediately after I was finished producing the layers for the "Where the Wild Things Are" cake (and after 16 years of heavy use!) in my last post, I had to procure a new one and fast.

Happily, a glistening, stainless-steel, gas range was installed in our kitchen a few days ago, so the cobbler functioned as a suitable test case. That shiny piece of machinery took the cobbler on its maiden voyage into Fahrenheit Land and returned it to shore all golden brown and twinkling--a safe and successful voyage, one might say. There it is, pictured below. (Hear my sigh of baking contentment  . . . ?)

About this recipe . . .

I adapted this from a recipe for nectarine cobbler found in Sherry Yard's magnificent book, Desserts by the Yard. I adjusted the formula slightly by using Prosecco as an alternative to the pricier Champagne; by including a wee bit of chopped candied ginger in the pastry (Sherry advises leaving it out for this cobbler, but I thought it was a great touch used in moderation); by omitting the orange zest from the filling (I don't typically buy oranges this time of year, so I just used lemon zest); and by using about thirty percent more fruit than called for--mostly peaches instead of nectarines.

This is so good. You're gonna love it.

Sparkling Peach Cobbler

(For a printable version of this recipe, click here!)

For the dough (make this first):

1 and 1/2 cups All-Purpose flour, plus 6 Tbsp. for dusting
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 oz. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2'' chunks and frozen for 15 minutes
1 egg, large
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp. crystallized (candied) ginger, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten with 1 yolk, for the egg wash

In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the 1 and 1/2 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Using the paddle attachment, add in the frozen butter chunks and mix for 1 to 2 minutes on low speed, until the butter is broken into large lumps that you can see. Stop the mixer. With your thumb and index finger, flatten any round lumps.

Beat again for 30 seconds. (The butter pieces should look like "flattened walnut pieces," per Sherry Yard's advice.)

In another bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and the egg.

Pour this into the dry ingredients, along with the chopped candied ginger. Turn the mixer on for several more seconds, just to combine.

Place a generous sheet of parchment paper on your work surface and dust it with a couple tablespoons of flour. Plop the dough onto it.

The dough should be tacky and crumbly when you dump it from the bowl (mine was much more sticky than tacky, so I was liberal with the flour once I got it onto the work surface). Now you'll begin a very simple version of the "3-fold" process. Don't panic.

To form the dough into a square that's 1" thick all over, use the edges of the parchment, bringing them up and over to press the dough into this shape. Peel the parchment back.

Dust the top of the dough with another tablespoon of flour, and flip it over. Gently press it into an even rectangle that's 6" x 8". It should be 1" thick all over.

Using the side of your hand, positioned parallel to the bottom edge of dough, make a crease through the middle. Just make an impression--you don't need to push down too much.

Using the paper to lift the dough, fold it over right at the crease. Peel back the paper again, and dust the top with 1 tablespoon of flour.

Press the dough out again, just like before, and turn it in front of you 90 degrees. Make a crease again, just like before, and fold and turn the dough again. Lightly dust the top with 1 tablespoon of flour. Crease, fold, and turn one final time.

At this point, the dough will be a relatively uniform block. Dust it with 1 more tablespoon of flour, and roll it out gently (with a rolling pin) into a rectangle that's 6" x 8" and that's 1" thick all over.

Wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes (At this point, I slid my dough, still on the parchment, onto the back of a little sheet pan, then covered it with plastic, and sort of folded the extra parchment up over it; I didn't want to have to overhandle it at this point. I slid the pan with the dough on it into the freezer.)

While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling.




For the filling:

1/4 cup All-Purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar, or more depending upon the tartness of your fruit
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 tsp. lemon zest
1 and 1/2 cups Prosecco (Note: if you prefer your cobbler with less liquid overall, I suggest you reduce this amount by one third; my cobbler had quite a lot of liquid.)
1/4 to 1/2 cup honey (take into account how much sugar you've used and how sweet your fruit is; adjust accordingly in deciding how much honey to use)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
8 large ripe peaches (or nectarines, or a combo), pitted, unpeeled (yes, unpeeled--unless you hate the peel), and sliced into eighths
1 egg, beaten with 1 egg yolk, to use for the egg wash
About 1/4 cup granulated sugar to use for dusting

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish (12" x 12", or 9" x 13") or two smaller dishes (I used one 8" x 8" glass dish and one ceramic quiche dish). Butter the baking dish and dust it with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. 

Combine by hand, in a large bowl, the flour, sugar, nutmeg, and lemon zest. 

Whisk in the Prosecco. Heat the honey just until warm and easily pourable; stir it into the mixture. 

Stir in the lemon juice. Add in all of the peaches and toss everything together until the fruit is well coated. Scrape all of this into your prepared pan(s). 


Take the dough from the freezer and, using a very sharp knife, cut it into diamond shapes. 

Arrange the diamond pieces over the filling. Brush the dough with egg wash, then sprinkle generously with sugar. 

Immediately put the pan(s) in the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the dough is a nice golden brown. (Expect juicy dripping during baking and use foil or a baking sheet beneath the dishes to prevent a mess in your oven; I did this when it was almost too late!)

This stuff's utterly delicious on its own, but also heavenly with a little unsweetened whipped cream on top.

(If you'd like to comment on this post, or to read any existing comments, please click on the purple COMMENTS below!)

Journaling Mentor

Quote of the Day:  My journaling mentor, Katrine Trobisch Stewart, wrote the following inscriptions to me:

For Mary, It is delightful to get to know your authentic God-given voice.  In His love, Katrine (Words inside her book A Book of Life - Spiritual Journaling in the Twenty-First Century)

For Mary, May you continue to find joy in the most unexpected places of your journey. Lovingly, Katrine (Words she inscribed in her mother's book, Hidden Strength by Ingrid Trobisch, which she gifted to me at Mount Carmel this summer)

I first met Katrine the summer of 2004 at Mount Carmel where she was the morning speaker and afternoon journaling guide.

 I have been writing in journals since I was very young, so I was excited to learn from Katrine about deeper and more meaningful ways to write in a journal.  In a group setting, we talked about journals, how to use them more deeply to understand ourselves and our relationships, and to share them with others.  I learned so much from her that week and wanted to create that group experience with other people.

Slowly, I've stretched myself out into the world and encouraged others to write in journals.  I've led a few journaling sessions during retreats.  I learned how to make journals and teach others how to make them to encourage their creativity.

This past weekend, I presented to a group of women at a local church on keeping a prayer journal.  I told them that I think of a prayer journal like writing letters to God. 

Dear God, I write, Thank you for my many gifts and talents and for the courage to share them with others.  Let me be your ink and your song as I lead others.

I shared a few examples like that one with the women, focusing on cares, concerns, and celebrations. 

I read them some poetry:

As Imperceptibly as Grief by Emily Dickenson

Susanna by Anne Porter

Music by Anne Porter

Here's a great line from Susanna:

There's not a single inch

Of our whole body

That the Lord does not love

Then, I played and sang a couple songs for the women and gave them some time to listen, think, write, and just be.

Thank you, Katrine, for being at Mount Carmel that year, and again this year, and for taking the time to mentor me in the art of journaling and leading others on the journaling journey.

Journaling Prompt:  Write about a mentor in your life, or about your experiences journaling.

It is "that" time again....

The "time" I refer to is the end of summer term at school.  Why I ever thought that cramming 10 weeks of information into 8 weeks with the schedule that my family has I will never understand.  At first (the first 3-4weeks) everything was OK, I had found a good balance between family, work and school but, oh yes, there is a but, all of a sudden the universe started spinning much faster, my days began slipping by in nano-seconds and then all of a sudden I found myself falling behind, struggling to keep up and praying that I would survive and retain the required information in order to pass those dreaded finals.

Well the end is almost here, I have been eating, breathing, and living school in every spare second I can find.  There has been no time for cooking, or grocery shopping or house cleaning, only survival people.  Luckily, my family is wonderful, my husband and children have been maintaining the house and no one stares too much as the circles around my eyes from lack of sleep make me look more and more like those cute little raccoons down by the river. 

So everyone, please hang in there with me as I finish this last week of school.  I promise that as soon as it is all over I will be cooking again, trying out all those great recipes  and sharing them with anyone willing to read my blog.  Wish me luck, and if I don't return within 7 days come looking for me I might just be buried under my laptop trying to study for my physics exam.

Where the Wild Cakes Are . . .

 

"The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called him 'WILD THING!' and Max said 'I'LL EAT YOU UP!' " -- Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are

A few weeks ago, my good friend Holly asked if I'd be interested in making a special cake for her young nephew's birthday party. She sent me a link to a photo that depicted a fun rendition, in cake form, of one of the characters from Where the Wild Things Are. I took one look and knew I couldn't pass it up. That photo provided the direct inspiration for the cake that I ended up making last week. I hope the folks at Coco Cake, a boutique-cupcake bakery in Vancouver, Canada, agree that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, because I drew very heavily from their adorable design (click on that link to see their cake!).

Their cake, though, was fondant covered and wrapped with a fabric ribbon. Because we didn't want to go with fondant for this little boy's birthday, my cake was filled and coated with buttercream, and fondant accents were used only for the eyes, nose, teeth, and horns. To make this cake, I used a devil's food recipe that can be found here, in a post that I did last September; the buttercream icing recipe that I used can also be found within that same post.

This is an awfully simple design when you get right down to it. Anyone with the time and inclination could make this. So, let the wild baker within you out -- make your own Wild Thing cake, and let the wild rumpus start!

Here's the rundown on the supplies that I used and details on how I assembled this wild thing of a birthday cake:

Three 9" cake layers, cooled
About 1 and 1/2 cups of white or off-white buttercream icing
About 5 cups of chocolate icing
About 3/4 cup of grated milk chocolate and dark chocolate, combined
A small amount of white fondant (teeth and horns)
A small amount of pinkish/flesh-toned fondant (nose)
A very small amount of bright yellow fondant (eyes)
A very tiny amount of black fondant (pupils of eyes)

Helpful to have:
One 9" cakeboard
Cake decorating turntable
Metal offset spatula(s)

You'll definitely need:
One pastry bag (10" or 12" size is good)
One decorating tip -- number 133 or 233 (these are often referred to as "fur" or "grass" tips)
4 sharply-pointed standard length toothpicks (to help anchor the horns)
Black or dark gray food coloring (preferably paste or gel type; not the watery type)

Assembly:
With one layer of the cake placed on the 9" cakeboard (note: "glue" the layer onto the board with about a tablespoon of smeared frosting on the board itself), and centered on your turntable, spread about 1 cup of the chocolate icing evenly to the edge of the layer; do the same with the second cake layer, spreading the icing evenly to the edge. Over the third layer, spread half of the white icing smoothly. Now, ice the sides of the cake all in chocolate, smoothing as you go; while the frosting is still soft, lift the cake on its board, and holding it on your palm over a sheet pan, pour and pat the grated chocolate onto the sides until the cake is coated all around. This grated chocolate gives the cake a nice furry look--very wild! Try hard to avoid getting grated chocolate on the top of the cake.

Refrigerate the cake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until the frosting on the top feels cold and firm. Once it's firm, spread another layer of white icing over the existing layer on the top of the cake. Smooth it completely with an offset spatula; if you're having trouble getting a really smooth surface, it helps to dip your spatula in very hot water for several seconds, immediately wipe it off with a dish towel, and then use it right away to smooth out the buttercream (they call this the "hot knife method"-- how clever!). Refrigerate the cake again, uncovered, while you prepare your fondant decorations.

When working with fondant, always remember that it begins to dry out extremely quickly, so don't leave it exposed to the air. Lightly cover your fondant pieces that are in progress with a slightly damp piece of paper towel while you're working, and only remove as much fondant from the container as you'll need for each decorative piece as you shape each one. (Keep your containers tightly closed and/or in zip-loc bags. You can buy small containers/packages of fondant at craft stores. They can be purchased already colored, or you can buy white fondant and color it yourself with paste food coloring; if you've never used fondant before at all, though,  practice with it before you actually try it out on an important cake. It's kind of a weird medium and it takes getting used to. In fact, if you're a total newbie, I'd advise reading up on basic fondant techniques just to help avoid disaster.)

Working the pink/flesh-tone fondant with your hands until it's relatively soft, shape it into a rounded cone/pyramid shape, and work that gradually into the shape of the creature's nose. Don't forget that it needs one flat side to lay on the cake, and two indentations that look like nostrils. Keep in mind, as you mold the nose, the desired size in relation to the top of the cake.

To make the eyes, roll out the softened yellow fondant with a fondant rolling pin (a waxy, extremely smooth pin), and cut out two perfectly round eyes. Don't make them too thin, or they'll be hard to cleanly lift and handle. Roll out and cut two very thin circles for the pupils, and then trim them to fit into the eyes. Attach the black pupils to the eyes by dabbing on a tiny bit of water, with your finger or a brush, to act as glue; water is all that's needed to cement two small pieces of fondant together.

For the teeth, roll out a bit of the softened white fondant and. using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut out about 10 triangular teeth. (That wild creature really has 14 teeth in the storybook, but I could realistically only fit 10 of my fondant teeth on the cake.)

Take a larger chunk of the white fondant and roll it into a solid cone shape, then curve it slightly to make it look like the creature's horn; make 2 of these. At the base of each horn slice off a bit of the fondant on an angle with a thin sharp knife, to help create a small flat surface that will allow the horns to rest on, and better adhere to, the frosting on the cake. Let the horns sit for a while and firm up before attempting to affix them to the cake. Don't cover them.

Remove the cake from the fridge. Handling each fondant item carefully, arrange the eyes, nose, and teeth on the top of the cake, keeping in mind as you place them that frosting "fur" will eventually be piped all around the edge of the face.


When the horns seem firm enough, position them near the top edge of the cake above the outer edges of the eyes. Anchor each one, at its base, into the cake by pushing the two toothpicks through the horn and into the cake. (Critical: Be sure to inform the person who will be cutting the cake that the toothpicks are in there! No one wants a birthday child biting into a toothpick!) If there's any fear that the horns aren't ready to support themselves, place something beneath them to help hold them up while you continue decorating the cake. (As shown, I needed to use little boxes that I topped with folded napkins. That worked well, and once the whole cake was done being decorated and could go right into the fridge, I removed the supports and all was well.)

Prepare your pastry bag, using the fur/grass tip in a coupler (the coupler is the two-piece device that holds the tip securely inside and outside of the pastry bag). Using a small spatula or the back of a spoon, "stripe" the inside surface of the bag here and there with a smearing of the black/gray food coloring. Now fill the bag about 2/3 of the way full with soft chocolate frosting; it must be soft enough to pipe easily but not at all warm; if it's too soft the fur will just flop over and make a mess as you pipe it onto the cake.

Starting with the toothpick-anchored horns, pipe fur all around them; this will anchor them further.

Then, pipe the long bangs that extend to the top of the nose and eyes. From there, just keep piping fur all around, refilling your bag with more frosting as needed. Make the piping a little heavier near the creature's chin; in the book, he has a bit of a goatee if you look closely. Once you're all done piping, store the cake in a plastic cake carrier, or in a cake box, in the fridge.

 There now, wasn't that wild? 

 
(If you'd like to comment on this post, or to read existing comments, please click on the purple COMMENTS below!)

Creative Space

Quote of the Day:  If I don't create something soon, I'm going to explode! - Mary Aalgaard, after computer catastrophes, time away, and a house full of distractions, I mean boys!

So, I invited myself over to my friends' house and made fruit pizza.  Yes, it really IS as good as it looks.  Cookie bottom, cream cheese "sauce" and your favorite fruit.  I'm licking my fingers - and the pan when every morsel has been scraped away.

I'm still working my way through The Artist's Way, and one of our tasks was to make a list of 20 things you like to do.  Making fruit pizza was #12.

1. write

2. play piano

3. eat pizza (only because I was at a pizza place at the time and dreaming of #12)

4. take pictures

5. attend live concerts (listen to music)

6. travel

7. nap

8. go out for coffee

9. walk

10. Group Power (weight lifting class at the Y)

11. bike

12. make fruit pizza (And eat it and share it)

13. ride horse

14. make things, like journals (see pic below)

15. knit

16. teach

17. do Kids' theatre

18. act

19. sing

20. laugh

I'm presenting at a women's retreat day at a local church on Saturday on keeping a prayer journal.  Here's a photo of what I'm making.

 Isn't that paper just yummy?  I also love going to the downtown Art & Frame store to shop for paper.

If my computers had been in operation, I would have written a tribute to my journaling mentor earlier this week.  Here she is at Mount Carmel gazing out at the lake, soaking in all the goodness of our week together.  I'll tell you more about her later.

I've also been to scout camp, back home for a visit with family and extended family, and to the grocery store about 47 times since the beginning of June.

Oh, and while I was away, I tweaked my blog.  See the flag counter?  I was excited to see that someone from South Africa stopped by.  Hello!  I love being part of the global community.

Journaling Prompt:  List your top 20 things you like to do.  Then, pick one and go do it!!