I’m Up In The Woods, I’m Down On My Mind.

New Bon Iver, yay. Just so you know, his latest contribution to the music universe, the Blood Bank EP, is satisfactory. I’m particularly fond of his track “Woods” – the Imogen Heap circa “Hide And Seek” sound of it is charming.

Watching Sex, Lies and Videotape for the first time in my life. How have I avoided this so far? I’m getting homesick already. Hello, Baton Rouge Garden District. Love and miss you. This film is so dated… a film with James Spader, Andie McDowell, anddd Peter Gallagher? Wow. Authentically 1989. The whole cicadas in the background thing is kinda cute, and watching James Spader drive across the Mississippi River bridge was sweet, but the fact that everyone is gleaming with beads of sweat in every scene is a bit much. I lived in Baton Rouge in ‘89. I don’t remember much, but I remember air conditioning.

“Being happy isn’t all that great. I mean… the last time I was… really happy… I got really fat.”

Ah. Amazing.

Speaking of fat… This week has been sick with culinary success. King cake midweek turned out brilliantly — could not have been more pleased with myself, family was stoked, mom’s got plans for cheesecake filling… I’m not so sure about it, but whatever makes her happy. I’m more interested in the Bourbon Roasted Pecan filling I found… Anyway. Last night was Duck Gumbo night, and that, too, was wildly successful. Also managed to throw together the most amazing spinach artichoke dip I have ever had in my short life. Holy moly.

Tonight I made my own pasta — tortellini, to be exact. I got the idea while I was watching Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven, an HBO documentary about famed NYC culinary institution, Le Cirque. Sirio’s wife was being interviewed in her kitchen while she meticulously created tiny tortellini by hand. Thus, I was inspired. Threw together some pasta dough in my mixer & got to work. Nowwww I have this desperate craving for a pasta machine. The tortellini were sooo cute. Dad and I had a proper little feast, it was magical. Go ahead and be jealous. If you’ve never made your own pasta, I really wish you would give it a go — the flavor and texture is beyond rewarding. Do itttttt.

That’s all I have for now.

xxAimeeCait

Down On LaSalle And Rampart Street, The Combo’s Playin’ With A Mambo Beat.

So it’s beginning to look a lot like Mardi Gras, and I’m far far away from my native land for the 2nd year in a row. Last Mardi Gras, while I was in the UK, mom sent me & Emile National Championship pajama pants in purple & gold (last year was so much better for our Tigers) and a box of Mardi Gras: beads, confetti, and The Advocate front page from the day after our National Championship win. Last Mardi Gras came and went, and for the first year of my life, I had no King Cake.

I love King Cake. I don’t necessarily eat all that much of it, but I love it. I’m a sucker for food with history. That purple, green and gold sugary confection is just a nice thing to have on display in the kitchen — it’s festive. You knew it was really Mardi Gras season when King Cakes started showin’ up in homeroom. A King Cake set you back mayyybe $7, but it guaranteed you at least 15-20 minutes free from actual class work. Even the most efficient teacher wouldn’t dare interrupt the distribution and enjoyment of such a beloved tradition. At that point you didn’t even mind if you were the one that found the baby — while you were the one charged with the task of providing the next cake, you were also blessed with the opportunity to perpetuate the avoidance of mind-numbing busywork. Let the sweet times roll.

So here I am in Tennessee, I’m 20 years old, and I’m going to attempt my first King Cake. Wish me luck.

Also. Straining yogurt for a sour cream substitute… gee whiz. Should’ve just gone and bought the damn sour cream.

xxAimee Cait

Joe Cookies

So, my boyfriend Joe is allergic to eggs. This has limited his food experiences. Just think about it: 20 years of life on Planet Earth with no scrambled eggs, no breakfast burritos, no ice cream, no egg nog… it’s a sad, sad thought. Oh, also — some of the only cookies he’s ever eaten in his life have been from a special recipe his mum found that uses an egg substitute. So he’s experienced the joy of chocolate chip cookies, but nothing else. No other kind of cookie… ever.

This, in my opinion, is just wrong. A life without cookies? That’s a crying shame. So I’ve set out on a mission to introduce Joe to all different sorts of cookies, not just chocolate chips. M&M, snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut, oatmeal raisin, pecan pralines… the sky is the limit. I just have to figure ‘em all out. I love a challenge.

Here’s the basic recipe — if you have any ideas, let me know!

JOE COOKIES
happy little Eggless wonders

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons orange juice
3 teaspoons Egg Replacer dissolved in 4 Tablespoons warm water (mix well)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a greased baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Gradually add replacer eggs, vanilla and orange juice while mixing. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the butter mixture until blended. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Using a teaspoon, drop cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

They’re amazing, and the orange juice makes all the difference. True story.

I’d also like to add that the ultra positive point of this recipe being egg free: no salmonella. The dough is completely safe to eat uncooked. So if this never ends up making it to the baking sheet, no harm done.

I found Egg Replacer at Kroger in the Organic/Specialty section. (Joe and I were racing to find it. Naturally, I won. I’m the girl, I know my way around the grocery store.) Good times.

Off to help mom finish up red beans & rice for dinner. The kitchen smells like home. I miss Baton Rouge, but I’ll be there soon enough.

xx AimeeCait

Tuesday Playlist.

No witty name so far. Just ‘Tuesday‘.

Love Will Tear Us Apart – Jose Gonzalez
All Is Full Of Love – Death Cab for Cutie
Fool In The Rain – Led Zeppelin
One Heavy February – Architecture in Helsinki
Bartender – Regina Spektor
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want – The Smiths
Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones
Amsterdam – Peter Bjorn & John
I Know – The Beta Band
Pink Moon - Nick Drake
Blister In The Sun – The Violent Femmes
Naive – The Kooks
Piece Of My Heart - Big Brother & The Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin
Hospital Beds – The Cold War Kids

Doesn’t have to make sense. Simply needs to make the day bearable. Something I can dance to, or not dance to. Something I can ignore if I want. But mostly, something good.

My to do list is pretty straightforward today.

Smile
Watch Patrick Fugit films
Make lovely things in my kitchen for tonight’s festivities (wahey Bible study)
Bible study
Laugh
Provide hellaciously cynical social commentary to no one in particular
Roll my eyes
Watch another Patrick Fugit film or something by Wes Anderson
Sleep

Score. Dad is retrieving pita bread & tahini from the International Section of K. Roger. I love my pantry, but not when it has seemingly swallowed the requisite ingredients for whichever culinary adventure I’m embarking on. Rubbish. It’s frustrating – in the UK, hummus was so readily available, along with pita (pronounced ‘PIT-uh’ rather than ‘PEET-uh’, by the way), I got accustomed to having it all the time. (My waistline was evidence of that habit.) But in this little corner of Tennessee… jeepers. Where are my Greeks & Lebanese? This is one of the kajillion things that have me pinin’ for Baton Rouge on a daily basis. I’m far too close to Arkansas for my own comfort. (Sorry, Hope. I know you understand.) I miss culture.

It’s been a good few days, I’ll say that.

Well, minus a stray snafu (God, how are you using this one for your glory?)… but yeah, apart from that chestnut, it’s been nice.

Baby Ryan makes 16 tomorrow. Holy moly. It feels like last week we were standing in a hospital room, inspecting this tiny little person with hair the color of brown sugar. I turn to my father, who introduces us to our new baby sister, Ryan Nicole. I furrow my little brow, perplexed, unsure of how to respond. My previous experience with meeting new siblings is limited to LindseyBelle, which I don’t remember, having only been 1 year old at the time of her blessed arrival. My father continues to make precious memories as he coos lovingly to his brood – now there are four of us. I look up quizzically, and as my blue eyes settled on her hazel ones, I asked my father: “We’re taking it home… with us?” In my mind, this whole thing had been great and all, but it’s well past my bed time and I want my parents back. In the end, despite my avid protest, Ryan came home with us, and that was that. Child number 4. Eventually, middle child – part deux. A beautiful, intelligent, bossy little girl with more stubbornness in her oddly-shaped thumbs than in the whole of my being. She gets prettier everyday – she has the kind of eyelashes people pay thousands just to have glued on to their lids. Her trademark, though, is her perfect set of outrageously cute dimples. No human being has the right to be this good looking. Somehow, Ryan gets away with it. Goodness. Happy birthday, little sister.

xxAimeeCait

Baking Hastily

True story. It kind of defeats the purpose of my baking (which is typically to destress & unwind after a rough week or a hard day) but fortunately, the result is still delicious. Baking is my happy place, and I’m headed to my happy place in a few short minutes. I’m hoping to either recreate the magic of/improve these cookies. We’ve got family coming in for the night (surprise!) and we (my three sisters & I) have been busying ourselves ’round the house, trying to do the same quality job our mom would do.

So, on assignment from mom, I quite reluctantly sticky-rolled my black bedsheets to remove the white dog fur that mysteriously finds its way there.

No lie. Sticky-rolled… my bed sheets. I feel like Monk.

I’ve just received word that I’m being sent on a Diet Coke/Diet Dr. Pepper run (something we’ll obviously need if we’re expected to survive the night).

Last quick note — The other day, I vlogged about a book I’m reading: “The God That Smokes” by Timothy J. Stoner. I have to say right here that I cannot put it down. I’m taking notes like a bandit, writing down further questions to explore… all sorts of good things. If you’re browsing Barnes & Noble, thumb through it and see if it catches you like it’s caught me.

Off to procure diet soft drinks & peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Yum.

xxAimeeCait

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

So here’s the thing. I started making these not knowing if it was going to be what I was craving. (I knew I wanted peanut butter & chocolate… I just haven’t ever attempted the combination whilst baking.) Only upon tasting the butter/sugar/peanut butter/vanilla mixture did I realize what a brilliant decision I’d made. Gee whiz. Like a Reese’s Cup, just not as sickeningly sweet. Feel free to leave out the pecans – they’re not actually a part of the proper recipe, but I’m a fan of ‘em and I haven’t had them in ages, so I’m all about them lately.

Anyway, here’s the recipe, give it a go. You’ll love it, true story.

Ingredients:

• • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
  • 1/2 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 3/4 cups – 2 cups chocolate chips (I used Nestle semi-sweet)
  • Granulated sugar

ALSO: I added in 2 cups of roughly chopped pecans because I couldn’t help myself.

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels.

DROP dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Press down slightly with bottom of glass dipped in granulated sugar.

BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 4 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Do it. You’ll thank me later.

xxAimeeCait

Back to Baking

This is the trial run of my favorite Christmas present this past year: my retro penguin bombshell apron. I absolutely love this thing. Lindsey’s a legend.

Lovin’ it. Will post with a recipe later.

xxAimeeCait

One thing I’m missin’ for sure…

Crawfish season… man oh man. If I miss anything about living in South Louisiana, it’s crawfish boils. Anyway, as I was browsing the WAFB website, I came across this: a list of crawfish prices in South Louisiana. Put it to good use, mon frer.

xx Aimee Cait

Easter in England…

Plus side:

Fancy hardcore hollow chocolate Easter eggs.

Downside:

NO PEEPS.
(Gutted, mate. Properly gutted.)

Peeps/Cadbury Creme Egg fight to the death:

xx Aimee Cait

Happy St. Pat’s!

Right, so in the States, we’ve always given the Irish a nod come March 17. Every year I’ve been on this earth, I’ve ‘celebrated’ somehow — even if that just meant wearing the obligatory kelly green in an effort to minimalize the risk of suffering a pinch at the hands of my fellow classmates. Being a bit of a mutt, nationality-wise, (we’ll settle on Welsh/Scot for the purpose of this post) I don’t have that sort of distinct identity based on my heritage. Granted, I hold my 18 years in South Louisiana in high regard, but I’m no Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, Bajoie or Martinez. I am Gwaltney. I’ve never been able to say “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” or anything fun like that. So this year, I’m taking St. Patrick’s Day and making it my own.

Right, so we don’t actually do St. Patrick’s Day like we do in the States ’cause here they’ve got something of a friendly cultural rivalry goin’ on with Ireland. Understandable, yeah. But that means no local parades, no green beer, no wearing of the green, nothin’.

Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m initiating my own festivities.

Nigella Lawson (my new favourite kitchen guru) has an amazing recipe for a chocolate Guinness cake. In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m making it tomorrow & lovely shall be its name.

Also, I’m sharing the recipe here with you! Yayyy for increasing your calorie intake! Cheers!

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE
from Nigella Lawson’s book, Feast

cake
250ml Guinness
1 cup butter
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
140ml sour cream
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

icing
300g cream cheese
150g icing sugar
125ml heavy cream

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F, and grease and line a 9-inch springform tin.
2. Pour the Guinness into a large saucepan, and add the sliced butter. Heat until the butter is melted, and remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and the vanilla, then pour into the saucepan. Finally, beat in the flour and baking soda.
3. Pour the batter into the greased and lined tin, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to completely cool in the tin – it is quite a damp cake.
4. For the icing, beat the icing sugar and cream cheese together. Add the cream, and beat again until it’s a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the black cake until it resembles the frothy head of a pint of Guinness.

Sounds lovely! I’ll let you know how it goes.

Also – quick note – Slum Survivor was amazing, and it’s going to take a few posts to debrief on that. Thank you so much for your prayers, they were sincerely felt. I saw God move in me and my kids this weekend — total blessing. I’ll also hopefully be able to give you a sum total of what we raised this weekend for Tearfund. We had several raise over £100 (over $200 USD). That’s amazing. We’re marrying passionate words with passionate works and that’s exciting. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers as we really delved into the subject of poverty and tried to experience just a bit of how others spend their entire lives. It was so worth it.

xx Aimee Cait