The Hazel Bloom

Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

Well, it's official. I am, 100%, without a doubt, absolutely NOT allowed to make anything like this again until mid-June, AFTER our wedding. I'm trying to lose weight, not tempt myself into gaining 5 pounds in one sitting.

Because this stuff? This Buttermilk Caramel Sauce? This is tasty stuff. It's also known as Buttermilk Syrup, but really it's a caramel sauce in my book. Folks do serve it over pancakes and french toast for breakfast, but I think it's going to remain a dessert-only ice cream sauce for me.

It's rich, sweet, buttery, and has the teeniest hint of tanginess... and served warm over a couple scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream? I need some plain celery and four hours on the elliptical machine, stat.

But you - I'm sure you have more self control than I do. So go ahead, make this for your friends, your family, yourself. And enjoy.

I'll just be here on the elliptical gnawing on a stalk of celery.

(My guy awards this recipe TWO Grunts Up. "It was tasty, and I wanted more!")

Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

Adapted (barely) from this recipe for Buttermilk Syrup on Allrecipes.com

Yields two glorious, sinful cups

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, baking soda and salt in a medium to large saucepan (it will foam up, so don't use a small one!)
   
   
   
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to simmer.
   
   
3. As soon as the mixture starts simmering, set the timer for 7 minutes.
4. Continue cooking (it'll start boiling soon), stirring frequently. The mixture will gradually become a light amber color as the sugar caramelizes.
   
   
5. When the timer goes off, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
   
   
6. Let cool slightly, then serve over ice cream (or if you really want to go the breakfast route: Pancakes, waffles, french toast, fruit, you name it.)
7. This stuff thickens as it cools, but it should still be pourable. If it gets too thick, just set the container in some warm water or nuke for a few seconds, it should thin right back out.

Pear and Brie Quesadillas

Quesadillas are one of my favorite weeknight dinners. They're perfect for our carnie/veggie household - throw a little meat in his, add some black beans and extra veggies to mine, dinner's on the table in 20 minutes, and everyone's happy.

In this case, I went with the perfect sweet plus a little salty, tart plus creamy duo of Bosc pear slices and brie cheese. Sprinkled with some fresh jalapeno for a bit of bite, these quesadillas are a winner. Especially when paired with a perfect fresh salsa or even a tomato salad. Honestly, I'm not really sure what my side-dish concoction was so I'm not ready to post that recipe yet, but basically I took a bunch of heirloom cherry tomatoes, sliced them in half, added some onion, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeno. Pico di gallo? Tomato salad? Salsa? Pico de salad salsa? I have no idea. It's pretty tasty, so I'll share when I know.

But back to my point. If you've never tried pears and brie together, please do it soon, even if it's not in a tortilla. They're seriously a match made in heaven.

Pear and Brie Quesadillas

This recipe is not an exact science. But don't worry, please. It's just a quesadilla for goshsake, I'm sure it's un-screw-uppable!

Makes 1 each

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized soft tortilla (my favorite grocery store, Central Market, whips up these amazing whole wheat tortillas right there in the store that are the perfect size. Trader Joe's also has a great selection of tortillas, including whole wheat.)
• 1/4 of a Bosc pear, cut into 5 - 6 slices (or try another type of pear, I'm sure it'll be equally delish)
• Some slices of brie cheese
• Fresh seeded jalapeno, finely diced (optional)
  
  
  
  

Directions:

1. Lay the brie cheese and pear slices on one half of the tortilla.
   
2. Sprinkle with the jalapeno peppers, if using.
   
   
3. Fold the tortilla in half.

So - here's another inexact moment. I cook our quesadillas in our Cuisinart Griddler sandwich maker. Panini presses are so great for cooking up a crisp, perfect quesadilla in just a couple of minutes - plus, I find there's no need for any oil when you use one of these things, keeping the quesa relatively healthy.

If you have a panini press:

1. Place in sandwich press.
2. Cook according to manufacturer instructions.
   
   
3. Remove and cut into wedges with a pizza cutter.
4. Garnish with salsa/tomato salad/whatever you want, sliced avocados, sour cream, whatever you want. And enjoy!

Otherwise:

It's easy to cook quesadillas in a frying pan:

1. In a frying pan on medium, heat 1 - 2 teaspoons of veggie oil.
2. Lay the quesadilla in the pan and let cook for a minute or two until the cheese starts melting and the tortilla begins to brown on the bottom.
3. Flip it over and cook it on the other side.
4. Cook until cheese is nice and melty and each side of the tortilla is browned.
5. If you read my panini press instructions, you'll see I'm repeating myself: Garnish with salsa/tomato salad/whatever you want, sliced avocados, sour cream, whatever you want. And enjoy!

Strawberry Mini Scones

My first "job," at age 12, was picking strawberries at a berry farm down the road from where we lived. Every morning I would hop on my bike and pedal to the farm, where I joined dozens of other kids crawling down the muddy rows, searching for ripe berries. I ate about as many juicy, sun-warmed berries off the vine as I added to my box.

I think I made a total of about $75 that summer. And I couldn't even look at strawberries for a long time after that summer, let alone eat them.

I got over it.

These Strawberry Mini Scones are a perfect ode to early summer's most wonderful crop. An adaptation of Alton Brown's terrific scone recipe, they're tender and flaky, not too sweet, and with lots of bites of juicy strawberry.

Here's the recipe!

Strawberry Mini Scones

Makes 18 - 24 mini scones

Adapted from Alton Brown's basic scones recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
• 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of milk to brush on top
• Demerera or raw sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
   
   
   
   
3. Cut the 4 tablespoons of butter into chunks and add, along with the shortening, to the flour mixture. Those are my fingers there on the left. Just tryin' to keep it real for ya!
   
   
   
4. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the shortening and butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs.
   
   
   
   
5. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg.
   
6. Mix in the cream. 
   
7. Create a well in the dry mixture, then pour the cream mixture in.
   
   
   
   
8. Add the strawberries, then mix just until the dough starts to stick together.
   
   
   
   
9. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, and gently knead it together enough to form somewhat of one cohesive chunk of dough (I knead it just once or twice).
   
   
   
10. Roll into a rectangle. I was a little too overzealous with this batch and rolled the dough a tad thin. You probably want to go for about 3/4 - 1 inch thick.
11. Cut into mini scones.
    
    
    
    
    
    
12. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
13. Beat together the egg and 2 tablespoons milk.
14. With a pastry brush, brush some egg and milk mixture on each scone.
    
    
    
15. Sprinkle some of the demerara or  raw sugar on top of each scone.
16. Bake for 13-15 minutes - I check for just a tinge of golden brown along the bottom. 
    
    
    
    
17. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
    
    
    
    

Rhubarb Crisp with Cinnamon Ice Cream

My grandmother, or "Gran" as we called her (but never "Granny," mind you, as that sounded far too old for her tastes), had the most wonderful garden. As a child, it was nice, sure... but unremarkable to me in the way that whatever we grow up with, no matter what it is, is simply the norm. Conversely, as an adult, now I look back and remember her garden in that larger-than-life way that we adults sometimes remember scenes from our childhood.

Either way, that garden really was terrific.

It took up a good half of her substantial yard, maybe more, as I remember it. A long swath inside the fence was dedicated solely to rhubarb. Whenever we visited in the springtime, we'd leave with a big brown paper grocery sack full of it, giant leaves spilling over the top.

I have yet to grow any rhubarb in my yard - a shame, I know. But I buy it at my favorite grocery store this time of year, and the color, the smell, and of course the taste (mmmm, the taste) all take me back to all those times so many years ago when I'd follow my rhubarb-chopping-machete-wielding Gran out to the garden where she'd hack away at the stalks and fill up our grocery sack.

So naturally, this Rhubarb Crisp reminds me of my Gran, who passed away right around this time of year, several years ago. And who I always miss.

(As I'm sure you can imagine, a warm spoonful of this tart-and-crunchy Rhubarb Crisp is perfection when paired with Cinnamon Ice Cream. That recipe is below, as well. Enjoy them both!)

Rhubarb Crisp

Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 5 - 6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound rhubarb, sliced 3/4 - 1 inch thick
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Throw the rhubarb into a smallish baking dish - mine is about 5" x 8" and it works great. 9" x 9" would work fine, too.
3. Sprinkle the rhubarb with the sugar and 2 tablespoons flour and toss well.
   
   
   
4. In a food processor, add the 1/4 cup flour, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon. Pulse to combine, then add the butter, and pulse until the butter is pea-sized.
   
   
   
5. Sprinkle the flour/oat mixture over the top of the rhubarb.
   
   
   
6. Bake for about 35 minutes, until rhubarb is tender when you poke it with a fork, and the top is crisp.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and set them aside.
2. In a small to medium size saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the whipping cream, 1/4 cup of the milk, and one cup sugar.
3. Stir frequently until the mixture begins to simmer. 
4. Remove from heat. Whisking the eggs briskly (so that they don't scramble), slowly pour half of the warm milk and sugar mixture into the eggs. 
5. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and add the remaining milk.
6. Cook on medium low, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the metal spoon. Like so:
   
   
   
7. Remove from heat, then stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.
   
   
   
8. Freeze according to your ice cream maker instructions. We have the Cuisinart ice cream maker, and it's terrific.
   
   
   
   Generally you can serve directly from your ice cream maker for more of a soft serve texture, or you can freeze it for a harder ice cream.
   
9. Serve a scoop alongside some warm Rhubarb Crisp. Enjoy!

Woodsy Moss Vases

I'm into moss right now. I know it's sort of a weird thing to be into, but as a Pacific Northwest native, I guess it does make sense. It practically grows on us in the winter.

Really, I'm into moss because of its woodsy and whimsical vibe, its wonderful texture, its beautiful shades of green. Plus, it's super easy to work with.

Take this vase, for instance. So easy to throw together, and so terrific looking. It'd be perfect DIY decor for our upcoming wedding, but I've gotta chill on the projects already!

 

It's a soup can!

I love this kind of stuff.

Here's how to make your own.

The cast of characters: A soup can, some sheet moss, and a glue gun.

Rip off some moss the approximate size of the can. Wrap it around and rip it a little to fit.

Glue the can, or the moss (careful not to burn your fingers!) and just stick the moss on there. Seriously. It's that easy.

You'll probably have a few holes - just glue a little moss here and there to cover them up.

And then add flowers.

That's it, folks. Mossively cool, right?

Ha. Ha. Mossively.

Sorry.

(Have fun.)

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Last Friday, I invited a few friends over. And I made them Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches. Here's a photo.

But before I talk anymore about the Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, I'm going to talk about something else.

Pom-poms and great friends.

I'm a DIY freak. So when it came to planning our wedding (less than two months away - eek), the ultimate in Do-It-Yourselfishness, I leaped at every DIY opportunity.

I realized about a month ago, though, that I was in a little bit of trouble. Our smallish, somewhat low-key wedding was becoming a little DIY much. So I invited some close friends over to help make a few things.

Not the least of which was tissue paper flower pom-poms. Put my friends to work, and they deliver, I tell ya.

Well, Brian protested a teensy bit, but deep down I know he was enjoying the creative opportunity.

See? It's obvious. (Plus I think he was behaving because he said he wanted to appear in my blog. Gotta love guy with such lofty aspirations.)

Vix and Brian and some other wonderful family members and friends created pom-poms, a cake topper, banners, return address labels, favors... oh, and they even tasted some wine to help us pick what to serve on our big day.

I've got the best friends. 

They smile even when they are under threat of drowning in pom-poms, even when they know they're taking part in yet another harebrained scheme of mine.

I'm a lucky gal, and I love 'em.

So... anyway... I made them Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken. It's tangy, tasty, and so easy to whip up for a crowd - virtually no maintenance. And folks love it. It even gets a coveted grunt from my guy - he says, "One grunt! They go great with friends, beer, and potato chips."

Here, finally, is the recipe!

Slow-Cooked BBQ Chicken

Adapted from this recipe on southernfood.about.com

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 32 ounces (4 cups) ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoon cider vinegar
• Liberal pinch of red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, red pepper flakes, and garlic.
2. Place chicken breasts in a Crock Pot.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and give 'em a toss to coat.
4. Cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.
5. When the chicken is cooked through, remove the meat from the Crock Pot and put on a platter to let cool for a bit.
6. And then shred those suckers with a fork or with your fingers (they should be pretty much falling apart at that point).
7. Put the shredded chicken back into the Crock Pot with the sauce. 
8. Give it a stir and cook on low for another hour or so.
9. Serve in big crusty sandwich rolls (extra delish with sliced sweet pickles), or you can even serve it on top of rice.
10. Enjoy!

 

Ikea Bookcase Made Sideboard

I really do love Ikea.

And I especially love Ikea's Expedit bookcases. 

They're, in a word, rad. Well, I guess that's actually about 1/3 of a word, but you know what I mean.

We recently bought three of the shelving units, one four-squares-wide by two-squares-tall, as linked above. We laid it on its side, I put a few bowls here and platters there and cookbooks over there and topped it with a lamp and some red candlesticks, and it was good. A sideboard with lots of much-needed storage in our neato newly-decorated  dining room for a mere $69.99? Gotta dig it.

 

I think I'll be able to share the dining room soon, by the way. We've got one last thing to do.

A Potholder So Cute, It Gets Its Own Story

You've gotta be really cute - ridiculously good looking - to get your own story here at The Hazel Bloom. Yup. I'm strict around here, dangit, and I run this thing with an iron eye...

Oh, okay, fine... those of you who have visited this blog once or twice know that's a big fat lie.

But today? I'm not joshing. We're talking cute. Really, really cute.

I mean, yeah, it's just a potholder. And speaking for myself, I had no idea until yesterday at about 5:50 p.m. just how cute a potholder could be. 

But when my guy and I walked into Paper Source (looking for, you know, paper stuff), there it sat in a basket, with a soft light shining on it, and I swear I heard angels sing.

Completely cute, right?

Okay, I know this picture is boring and quite possibly does not convey the sheer cuteness here. In fact, it kind of sucks. Today I learned that taking an exciting picture of a potholder, even a ridiculously good looking one, is HARD. Which is kind of obvious, I guess, now that I think about it.

So I enlisted my trusty hand model (sensing a bit of a Zoolander theme? I friggin' worship that movie, man).

Unfortunately, this particular hand model found the puppet-like qualities of the potholder too hard to resist.

(Thanks to my guy for trying!)

But anyway, I think you can probably see - it's cute.

It's got whimsical little owls, one or two with chartreuse eyes. Whimper!

Kitsch*n Glam makes them, and you can bet I'm thoroughly perusing their site after I click "Publish" on this thing.

Buttermilk Pancakes

You know it's going to be a great day when you wake up to this.

I mean, first I woke up and dragged my butt out of bed and made coffee and then whipped up the batter and cooked up the pancakes, but after that, I pretty much woke up to this.

Basic Buttermilk Pancakes. When a fat stack of simple pancakes are in the picture, life can look pretty dang good.

Looked pretty dang good to Lizzie, too.

She's so subtle.

Poor, concerned, starving Lizzie. It's obvious she is sorely neglected.

So, would you like the recipe? Here's mine. Well, "mine" is relative - it's adapted from the trusty Joy of Cooking. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Pancakes

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Makes about six 8-inch pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix together the dry ingredients - one and a half cups of flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
   
   
   
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs a bit, then mix in the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk just until incorporated. Best not to overmix!
   
   
4. Pour 1/3 cup portions of batter onto a hot, buttered griddle.
5. Helpful note, if you're a pancake novice: It's ready to turn over when it starts to form bubbles on the top. Like this. (Pardon the deceptively orange looking pancake. I'm still figuring out the big girl camera.)
   
   
   
   See?
   
   
6. Flip and cook on the other side.
7. Butter, add syrup, and bask in buttermilk pancake joy. And for Lizzies everywhere, please share a little with your poor pup. (Yes, Lizzie got a bite!)

 

Easter Basket Cupcakes

How did this happen? Suddenly two days until Easter?!

Amazing how, especially when life is crazy, holidays can just sneak up on you. Luckily, I was slightly prepared to create a little something special because of my shopping spree at Bake it Pretty a month or so ago. Along with at least one of just about everything else, I threw some of these Filigree Basket Handles in my overflowing shopping cart, too.

So I churned out some last-minute cupcakes (last-minute cupcakes around here involve boxed cake mix, for shame, I know) and whipped up some little Easter baskets with jelly bean "eggs."

It should be a fun little Easter treat for kids and adults alike. I know I'd like to eat a couple right now, but I'm doing the low-carb thing.

Whimper.

Interested in making some of your own? Here's how I did it. If you don't have the basket handles, wing it! Twisty ties or heck, maybe even some paper strips would probably work great.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

I'm assuming you've made your cupcakes (from a box?! Join me in Home Baker's Detention!) and allowed them to cool.

Whip up a basic frosting - I like Martha Stewart's Fluffy Vanilla Frosting and used it here.

Add some green food coloring. I used my new mint green gel paste food coloring from... you'll never guess... Bake it Pretty! My lord, I need an intervention. 

Stir the same hue of food coloring into about a cup of coconut. I used Bob's Red Mill unsweetened shredded coconut. Worked great (and tastes great - it's low carb!) - except if you're using gel food coloring, stir it into about a teaspoon of water and then add to the coconut. Won't disburse otherwise.

Now you're ready to get frosting and decorating!

Just frost the cupcake like you normally would, but try to keep it a little flatter on top and a little more frosting on the sides than usual.

And then roll it - just the sides - in the coconut (a pie plate is perfect for holding the coconut).

Lookin' grassy!

Now add a few egg-looking jelly beans. I used Jelly Belly coconut and french vanilla (with perfect little speckles!)

Aaand then stick the handles in the sides.

(Note: It actually takes two hands to get the handles in.This was just how I chose to simulate it in the moment. Not a great choice in hindsight.)

And then... voila... Easter basket cupcakes! 

 

Enjoy.