Things around here have been a little crazy so I haven’t planned anything for Cinco de Mayo this year. I’ll probably end up just eating a quesadilla and making a margarita at home (as the weather heats up I’m looking forward to making a pitcher of watermelon margaritas again sometime soon).

But in case you are up for a more adventurous menu for Cinco de Mayo or any day, here is a little Mexican themed roundup:

Photo Credit: Michael Parlapiano of Food People Want

• An impressive list of recipes perfect for Cinco de Mayo from Food People Want (the tacos look so good I wish he was my neighbor)
• An equally impressive list of cinco de mayo recipes from Two Peas and Their Pod… I especially want to try the lime bars!
• Wash thing down with sangria from Andrea’s Recipes
• Or for a non-alcoholic alternative, try refreshing horchata from Homesick Texan

Mother’s Day is nearly upon us, are you ready? I think I am. Almost. I have a small, handmade gift for my mom that I will be mailing early next week. But I feel like it’s missing something.

While I try to figure out what it’s missing, here are a few ideas to brighten the days of the moms in your life…

Cook mom breakfast

Stacks and stacks of buttermilk pancakes loaded with blueberries (sliced bananas are also a nice addition). Imagine flipping them with this cheery spatula. Now imagine the smile on mom’s face.


Or buttermilk biscuits served alongside eggs and bacon or simply with butter and mom’s favorite jam. Nothing says love like homemade biscuits.

Bake mom a treat

Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the blackberry grunt is comforting and nostalgic. (Grunting noises are optional)

Surprise mom with this nutty and complex brown butter pound cake. Perfect with a cup of tea.

Or bring in the big guns: dulce de leche brownies. ‘Nuff said.

And if cooking for your mom isn’t feasible due to geography or whatever, here are a few more ideas I found around the web:

Show mom your crafty side

Make her a felt dahlia flower brooch from Not Martha (featured on Holidash). If you skip the pocket, it requires no sewing. But the secret pocket is charming so maybe you could just glue that on as well if you are averse to sewing machines. Anyway, I love this brooch so much I made one for my mom plus a few extras for fun.

Buy mom something cute for the kitchen

Everyone needs a pretty apron (like this one from Boojiboo)… dog not included.

Lovely embroidered flour-sack towels from Stitched – (also check out their handkerchiefs and cute cards)

Or how about these florist measuring cups from Anthropologie? I am in love with these.

(picture from the movie Tristan and Isolde)

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day and all things Irish, I’m interrupting the confessions of a sugar addict to share a real life Irish fairy tale with you.

It was the early 1800s in Ireland.  John was a strapping young blacksmith from the County Waterford. He fell in love with a beautiful lass from a neighboring county. Her name was Eleanor.

Eleanor’s parents were Irish nobility, and she was their only daughter.  She was destined to marry a nobleman, not a blacksmith. Her parents objected to John and would not allow them to marry.

But their hearts would not be denied.  John and Eleanor eloped to Paris and were married in 1815. 

From Paris, they migrated to the New World where they landed on Prince Edward Island, Canada.  John and Eleanor settled at Little Pond, King’s County and went on to raise 10 children!

I love this story. It’s a real story about real people and it gives hope to the hopelessly romantic like myself.  Love conquers all and all that.  And in a way, I have John and Eleanor to thank for my own love story.  They were Dan’s great-great-great grandparents.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Erin Go Braugh!

Who wouldn’t like to make a little whoopie this Valentine’s Day? Careful though, it can be habit forming. Whoopie pies with their chocolate cake outside and creamy marshmallow inside (what did you think I meant?). I’m seriously addicted.

Whoopie pies are an Amish tradition, originally called hucklebucks. Supposedly, their current name came about because the Amish farmers who found these treats in their lunchbox would shout “Whoopie!” (see: Whoopie Pies).

I’m not sure I would shout if I found one of these in my lunch, but I would be very, very happy. Frankly, if whoopie doesn’t make you happy something ain’t right.

As delicious as whoopie pies are I wasn’t satisfied. I wanted something more… More exciting. More daring. So I carefully cut out hearts with a cookie cutter (though I think this would’ve worked better if I did it before they were filled). And then…

Then I covered them with chocolate ganache and added a few sprinkles for good measure. The result? A homemade heart-shaped ding dong. Om nom nom.

[I was going to make a joke about whoopie and ding dongs, but that's just too easy].

P.S. All those trimmed edges make a great snack that no one else has to know about because aw, how sweet, you made hearts…

P.P.S I have set up a group on Flickr as a place to share food photos, whether it is a picture of something you made from a recipe here or not. I want to see what you’re eating, so come join me.

Whoopie Pies

(adapted from Good Housekeeping Baking and Martha Stewart Cookies)

Makes about 18 cookies

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking mat (ex: Silpat).
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until well combined.
4. On low speed, slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
5. Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 8 minutes.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack. Spread one cookie with Seven-minute frosting (recipe follows) and sandwich with a second cookie.

Seven-Minute Frosting

This is half of a traditional recipe. It makes just enough for the number of cookies in this recipe. Timing is key. It is bet to have everything you need ready before you start.

1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup sugar, the corn syrup and water. Bring to a boil. Raise heat to medium-high. Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reaches 230 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, when the syrup reaches a full boil, with an electric mixer, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar and beat until peaks are very fluffy but still soft.
3. When the syrup reaches 230 degrees, reduce the mixer-speed to medium-low. Pour syrup in a steady stream down the sides of the bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until cool, about 7 minutes.
4. Add vanilla and beat until fully incorporated. The frosting should be shiny and fluffy and hold stiff peaks.
5. Use immediately.

Chocolate Ganache

Good on just about anything.

1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup (about 6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat heavy cream in a small pan over medium heat until almost boiling (steam rising and bubbles around the edges, but you don’t want to boil it). Alternatively, you can heat the cream in a microwave.
2. Place chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over. Let stand until chips begin to melt, about 3 minutes.
3. Whisk until cream is fully incorporated and you have a shiny chocolate glaze.
4. Pour over whoopie pies or a pan of brownies. Can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks (reheat gently before using).
5. Let the whoopie pies sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator for the glaze to set. Or eat it and lick it off of your fingers…

Cheers! Did you have a fun New Year’s Eve? Dan and I had a low-key evening at home. We didn’t even make it to midnight… when did I get so old? Haha.

But we had a beautiful dinner at home: Dan grilled a rib-eye steak seasoned with Herbs de Provence, I made a potato-leek gratin based on this onion potato gratin from Simply Recipes and sauteed some mushrooms then finished them with a little port and cream. We paired it all with a lovely Syrah. It was a great way to send off 2009.

And in place of champagne (since we already had enough wine between the two of us), we tried something new: Golden Star Tea White Jasmine sparkling tea. I found it at Whole Foods this week. Dan called it a good non-alcoholic grown up alternative to sparkling apple cider. According to the Golden Star Tea web site, their sparkling tea is currently available at Whole Foods throughout California and the Pacific NW, but they will be rolling out throughout the US soon. In the meantime, you can buy it online through their site. [Note: It's not as cheap as the typical Martinelli's sparkling cider. It was $9.99 at Whole Foods for 1 bottle. So it really is like a champagne replacement. But for a special occasion if you don't feel like booze, it's a nice alternative... it's pretty like champagne too]