Month: August 2013

other

Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundae

Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundae
Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundae

Awesome things about being married so far:

1. You come home from work and find that someone else has done the dishes.

2. There’s always someone to re-watch Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with you.

3. Having someone taller than you around means someone can reach the blankets on the top shelf of the closet.

Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundae

4. Cuddling is available 24 hours a day.

5. Errands aren’t as tedious and boring when there’s someone else who will run them with you.

6. Marrying someone who cooks means that you can get dinner made for you on occasion (Mike’s specialty right now is salmon.)

Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundae

7. Sitting on the couch each evening becomes a date.

8. When you go to work or the gym alone, you can think about how nice it’ll be to see your husband when you get home.

9. You get to pool talents. If he’s the best with budgeting, that’s his job. If you’re the best at setting Twinkies on fire and sticking them in a bowl of ice cream, that’s your job.

Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundae

10. Knowing you (God willing) have years to spend (and eat Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundaes) with your best friend.

One year ago: End of Summer Berry Cobbler
Two years ago: Fauxstess Cupcakes
Three years ago: Ina Garten’s Lemon Loaf Cake and Raffaldini Vineyards
Four years ago: Dobos Torte

Brûléed Twinkie Ice Cream Sundae


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 2-3 servings depend on how much ice cream you use

Celebrate Twinkies’ comeback by setting them on fire and sticking them in ice cream.

Ingredients:
2-3 Twinkies (full disclosure: I couldn’t find Twinkies, so I used Cloud Cakes)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk (or other liquid of your choice)
ice cream (I used Birthday Cake ice cream, but pick your favorite flavor)
white chocolate chips (or toppings of your choice)
sprinkles (or toppings of your choice)

Directions:
Pour coconut milk in one small, shallow bowl. Pour sugar in another. Set these up as an assembly line. Dip each Twinkie briefly in coconut milk to coat before rolling them in sugar to coat and placing them on a plate. Use a kitchen torch to “brûlée” the Twinkie until the sugar is bubbly and caramelizing.

Place a few servings of ice cream in a bowl and top with brûléed Twinkies (slicing one in half makes for a pretty presentation), white chocolate chips, and sprinkles. Put a few spoons into the bowl and serve!

by | 18 Comments
other

Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes

Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes
Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes

“Just jump; I won’t let you fall.”

Do you remember standing on the side of the pool with floaties wedged onto your skinny upper arms, weighing the life-and-death decision before you? Your dad, who you’d always been able to trust, was now holding his arms out and asking for a huge leap of faith. Every cell of your body knew, instinctively, not to jump into the deep end of that pool. You couldn’t swim. What if you slipped right through your dad’s hands? But again, here was your dad’s voice, full of certainty. He loved you. He would never let you get hurt.

Maybe you were actually one of those kids who threw yourself willy-nilly into the deep end of the pool with ne’er a thought for your safety, but I was the kid above: paralyzed, carefully evaluating my chances of success before moving an inch.

Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes

I’m still that same overly conscientious kid in some ways, but in other ways, I’ve changed considerably. One nice thing about moving forward so quickly these past few weeks (marriage, a new city, a new job) is how it has inspired me to look back. As I carefully set up my new classroom last week in preparation for the dozens of bright kids I knew were coming, I repeatedly found myself reflecting on the gifts my previous school, Woodlawn, gave me. One of the most revolutionary, for me, was the willingness to jump into the deep end.

My first year at Woodlawn, I remember having a healthy dose of skepticism about any new undertaking. Was the new integrated project we were discussing too big, too convoluted to pull off? Could we really pull together the portfolio presentation we were envisioning? Would all the pieces really fall into place for the film festival we wanted to put together? Every cell in my body told me the answer was no. Don’t jump. You’ll slip. Your head will go under. It’s not a sure bet.

Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes

But my colleagues were always all in: throwing floaties into the wind, jumping straight off the high dive. Their certainty — just like my dad’s voice from the pool when I was a kid — won my trust. Their confidence was infectious. I made a choice; I jumped, too.

And it was magical. We all had faith and willingness, so projects grew and branched off into other fascinating projects. The quality of our endeavors — and our students’ experience — usually surpassed what we had first imagined. I learned over time to always, always jump.

Now here I am at a new school with new wonderful colleagues and new wonderful students, and I’ve got big ideas. Big projects, big undertakings. I find myself hesitating on the side of the pool again. But this time, I have the memory of all those amazing times at Woodlawn when the beautiful outcome always turned out to be so worth that scary leap in the end.

* * *
Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes

Even as we move forward, the past can be such a comfort. One comfort food from my childhood that I’ll always love are brown sugar Pop-Tarts. I used to eat these straight from the microwave (yes, microwave, not toaster. Because I’m weird.) every single morning. In this recipe, I’ve turned Pop-Tarts into dessert! To make Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes, a buttery brown sugar glaze is mixed into vanilla ice cream along with hunks of Pop-Tart. It’s a nostalgic and delicious treat.

One year ago: End of Summer Berry Cobbler
Two years ago: Peanut Butter Pie
Three years ago: Wacky Candy Cupcakes: Ferrero Rocher and Reese’s Cup
Four years ago: Lemon Blueberry Cake

Brown Sugar Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sundaes


Recipe by: Adapted from Cuisinart with glaze inspired by Epicurious
Yield: 5 cups, or 10 servings

Remember eating Pop-Tarts every morning before school? Now you can relive your Pop-Tart memories with dessert. These sundaes were so amazing!

Ice Cream Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Brown Sugar Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup (half stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 brown sugar Pop-Tarts, chopped into 1/4-inch cubes, plus more for garnish

Directions:
Make sure your ice cream maker’s bowl is frozen per manufacturer’s instructions. In a medium bowl, beat together the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Add the heavy cream and vanilla, mixing well. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Mix brown sugar glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until they boil, stirring constantly. Boil for about 30 seconds to be sure brown sugar is dissolved. Pour into a heat-proof bowl and let cool completely before chilling overnight with your ice cream base.

When ready to make your ice cream, turn on your ice cream maker and pour the vanilla mixture into its frozen bowl. Let the ice cream churn until thickened (mine takes about 20 minutes but it depends on your ice cream maker’s instructions). Spoon the ice cream out into an airtight resealable container and freeze until firmer (I skipped this step and stirred in my glaze right away and it mixed all the way into the ice cream. It was still super tasty, but it didn’t have the “marbled” look I was going for. So freeze the ice cream until firmer if you want it to be marbled.) Stir in Pop-Tart pieces and brown sugar glaze, mixing just until the ice cream is “swirled” with the glaze. Serve with whipped cream, caramel sauce, and Pop-Tart stick garnish.

by | 13 Comments
cookies, other

Gooey Carmelitas

It’s the detritus that gets me: the rainbow of miscellaneous crap lying everywhere after I’ve packed a bajillion boxes.

Listen, I can pack boxes all day long. My obsessive-compulsive brain relishes the opportunity to play real-life Tetris with my possessions, categorizing them and nestling them together in a perfect cube. I can handle that.

But all of this CRAP. What even is all this stuff? On my counters and in my cabinets there is a veritable jungle of odds and ends: a lint roller, baggies, a leaf (what?), a random assortment of screws and hardware-looking-thingies, a hair band, a button that probably matches some a clothing item I own, a billion notes and receipts and coupons and CORDS. WHAT THE CRAP DO ALL THESE CORDS GO TO?!

What IS this stuff? It makes me lose my ever-lovin’ perfectionist MIND. What box do I put it in? It can’t go with the kitchen stuff. It can’t go in a box of clothes. I could have a giant miscellaneous box, but isn’t that the moving equivalent of a junk drawer — something I’ve guarded myself against developing for years?

I’m getting down to that point, though. I’ve packed all the clothes, all the dishes, all the turtle supplies, all the toiletries (even, funny story, the toilet paper — which I then realized we weren’t quite finished with. Oops.) I’ve packed all the categories. And I’m up to my eyeballs in the detritus. Since we have but a few precious hours until morning comes and the movers arrive, I might go crazy and start flinging things into a junk-box sooner than I expect.

At least I take comfort in the knowledge that most of you out there are sitting in a comfy chair in a fully unpacked home, and that hopefully someday within the next week or so, I will join you (in having a fully unpacked home, that is; not in your home. That would be weird. Unless you’re making carmelitas, in which case, I’ll be over in a few.)

These carmelitas are the maximum in ooey gooey chocolatey goodness. Heated up with a drizzle of chocolate and caramel and a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, they really are the bee’s knees. I need to stress eat one or two (eight.) right about now!

One year ago: Sausage & Toast Breakfast Strata in Baked Tomatoes
Two years ago: Apple Cinnamon Cream Cupcakes: NOT Back-to-School Cupcakes!
Three years ago: Old-Fashioned Burger Stand Burgers & Easy French Fries
Four years ago: Chocolate Cheesecake Stuffed Cupcakes with Ganache

Gooey Carmelitas

Recipe by: Adapted from Our Best Bites
Yield: 20 carmelitas

These are gooey, chocolatey, caramelly, and amazing! They’re quick and simple to make, and served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, they’re to die for.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (or you can use all light)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1 Ghirardelli dark chocolate bar (I used 86%)
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)
store-bought caramel sauce, warmed according to package directions

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang that will help you to pull the bars out later. Spray the paper a little with cooking spray.

Beat butter in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add brown sugars and cream until fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour slowly, mixing until just combined, and then stir in the oats. Press about 2/3 of the dough into your prepared pan, covering the bottom. Sprinkle chocolate chips, pieces of the chocolate bar, and nuts (if using) over the top. Pour caramel sauce over top just until the bars are all nice and drizzles (you probably won’t use the whole jar).

Take pinches of the rest of your oat mixture and flatten them into “shingles” in your hands, laying them over top of your chocolate and caramel filling until it’s roughly covered. Bake the bars for 22-25 minutes or until top is light brown. Don’t overbake them. Let the bars cool in the dish until they are room temperature. Lift them out and onto a cutting board and slice (I like to drizzle them with melted chocolate at this point). You can store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve them — and at that point, I recommend heating them up and adding a big scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

by | 23 Comments
news

Our Wedding Day


(Photo by Todd Sumlin)

I saw Mike’s car turning onto Kings Street as I blew past in my little red Nissan. I hoped he hadn’t caught a glimpse of me — I wanted to see his face when he had a real “first look.” I jumped out of my car at Mama Ricotta’s, an iconic and well-loved Italian restaurant in Charlotte. The best photographer in the universe (Charlotte Observer photojournalist and a great family friend Todd Sumlin) met me with a big hug and an even bigger camera. I told him Mike was just about to pull in and then, sure enough, his black car pulled into the parking lot. I hid (and did considerable hair-floofing, dress smoothing, and smile-adjusting) until Mike got out of the car, whereupon he turned and there it was — the moment I’d imagined a million times: our first sight of each other, complete with him (absolutely killing it in his blue suit) walking quickly over to me with a broad smile, saying, “Julie, you look beautiful.”



The first look (Photo by Todd Sumlin)

Our wedding was picture perfect for me, from proposal to the last goodnight. One of my favorite details was the beautiful custom invitation that illustrator Lana Frankel created. I have to brag on Lana for a bit, because this girl worked tirelessly to make sure these were perfect: she included our special fountain, hand addressed our envelopes, and even lined them with metallic art deco inspired paper (to match my vintage ring)! She went above and beyond — and that’s what I love about working with a small, passion-driven business like hers. We were so tickled with the invitations and they’re now one of our most special wedding mementos.

Another perfect detail was our ceremony. I wanted to retain a few wedding traditions that were meaningful to us and ditch the many that weren’t. Mike and I opted for a small exchange of vows at the restaurant itself followed by a big feast — the food was a very important detail for me, of course! No aisle, no long ceremony, no separate dancing reception. I love those things at others’ weddings, but for us, it really fit to do a big family dinner instead. That’s more who we are.

Mama Ricotta’s seated us in the back of the restaurant with a heavy red/gold metallic curtain drawn behind us. My mom worked magic with $20 worth of hot pink baby roses I’d picked up at Trader Joe’s the day before, making it look like we’d actually planned some décor. After fretting for a week or so about who would officiate our ceremony (we wanted someone special to us who knew a bit about us personally), Mike and I convinced my dad to get ordained and do the job! It was the most wonderful twist I could’ve imagined: I’ll never forget that my dad not only “gave me away,” but actually led us through our vows on my wedding day.

After our vows — which we giggled and sniffled our way through — the servers brought us tray after tray overflowing with amazing food (some of which is pictured in our wedding album, below). Here’s the menu we enjoyed surrounded by our close family:

My lovely new in-laws (who have really felt like family for years) jokingly asked whether we’d also paid for the servers to roll us all out with handtrucks after the meal. Despite having just eaten a huge amount of food, Mike and I happily cut the cake: a huge sheet cake from Sam’s Club with fluffy whipped icing. Perhaps that doesn’t sound too fancy, but to me, there’s nothing more decadent than a ton of fluffy icing that I didn’t mix up myself! I had a hard decision to make, though, as I tried to determine which piece had the maximum amount of icing.


Mike helps me decide which piece of cake I want. Pretty sure this is important practice for being my husband. (Photo by Todd Sumlin)

At the end of the night, the marriage license was signed and hugs and kisses given all around. Mike and I found ourselves buckled into his car, husband and wife. I read him the cards we’d received from our family as he drove us through the streets of Charlotte. Three days later, we still turn to each other every now and then and laugh, realizing again how surreal it is that we’re married. I don’t know how long it’ll take for that to wear off, but I’m in no hurry. It has been a truly lovely union so far.

I thought I’d share a few photos from our wedding album with you. Thank you so much, again, to our wonderful photographer and friend, Todd Sumlin, for taking these photos. If you’re in Charlotte and need a photographer, I can’t recommend him enough! (You can click the “full screen” button to make the slideshow larger.)



layers_of_eli's weddingphotosubset album on Photobucket

Just like that, on August 4, 2013, all my dreams came true. Thank you all for your love, congratulations, and support!

* * *

Disclosure: Lana and Todd both generously gifted portions or the entirety of their services to me for my wedding; however, I value my readers such that all opinions expressed on Willow Bird are always my own. I share these lovely folks and their businesses with you because they are absolute gems and I know you’ll appreciate the quality of their work as much as I do.

by | 43 Comments
other

Fruity Pebble Strawberry Ice Cream Sundaes

My chubby hands guided my pen as best they could, but I was frustrated that the lines on paper didn’t look like the lines in my imagination. I could picture the room I was drawing so vividly — sophisticated colors, plush furniture, regal lamps . . . and a huge maze of floor-to-ceiling carpeted cat trees built into the wall itself. I unconsciously chewed my tongue firmly between my teeth, absorbed in concentration. These were the plans for the (aptly-named) cat room of my future home.

I was only about 9, but I already had very particular taste. My future home was going to be a sprawling, named estate — Avalon, I called it — with dozens of themed rooms; secret passageways; and a romantic, rolling wood surrounding it. I knew detailed plans would be required for the contractors set to build such a home, so I often sat in my room drawing and redrawing the details on notebook paper — everything from the floor layout to the accessories.

Apart from the cat room, I planned a huge library à la Beast’s and, because I was running out of themes and enjoyed watching football, a sports room. I hadn’t gotten excited about baking yet, and what a shame. I’m sure I would’ve designed a lovely kitchen. As it was, though, I barely gave it a thought.

I had my estate all planned out, but whenever I tried to imagine who I would live there with (other than a plethora of cats of course), I drew a blank. Of course I would get married. Right? It was hard to imagine, since even at 9, I was fiercely independent and mostly lived inside of my own imagination. Of course my husband would be handsome, right? That was just the way it was supposed to be. But what did handsome mean?

I drew upon my limited knowledge of “husbands,” stocked mostly with images from Disney films (it didn’t occur to me that my own dad was a husband in addition to being a dad), and decided that handsome meant “very tall with a lot of dark brown hair.” My future husband, therefore, became a personality-less paper doll in my mind — tall and brown-haired and otherwise quite foggy.

As I got older, I wasn’t too protective of my plans. Toyota stole my estate’s name for a line of cars (I maintain this is what happened), and my carefully drawn diagrams got thrown out at some point. I’m a touch sad now that I’m a grown-up who realizes giant mansions with giant libraries and secret passages come with a price tag that teacher salaries cannot pay.

There are other plans, though, that I didn’t mind leaving behind. Far from my vague, brown-haired Disney-husband, Mike is blonde, with short-cropped hair. He also, thankfully, has much more of a personality than the nebulous husband I’d dreamed up.

Today would be quite a surprise to my 9-year-old self. It’s my wedding day. I know folks always say that little girls dream of their wedding day forever, but I was so busy dreaming of my career (a lawyer — I had my parents buy my a briefcase to prepare) and my house that I never really got to that part. If I would’ve thought much about it, I’m sure I would’ve inserted another canned Disney image: white veil, poofy sleeves, church on a mountainside.

Today we’re getting married at one of my favorite Italian restaurants, instead. My dress is cocktail length. We ordered a sheet cake from Sam’s for dessert. I couldn’t be happier. What’s the lesson I’m learning here? Maybe I’m realizing (again) something about letting go of my preconceived life, and especially the stock images pop culture has fed me of what Husband or House or Wedding (or Kids or Car or Career, even?) look like.

Mostly, I think I’m just feeling very grateful for a change of plans.

* * *

My wedding day gift to you is some ice cream! This strawberry ice cream — complete with a very whimsical, fruity mix-in of my favorite kids’ cereal — is one of the first I made in my new ice cream maker (I use this one, except mine is bright red). The ice cream is surprisingly delicious and super fun to eat! I hope you enjoy it.

One year ago: No-Bake Fruity Cereal Treat Cupfakes
Two years ago: Strawberry & Cream Cupcakes and Cake Pops
Three years ago: Black and White Croquembouche
Four years ago: Mango Raspberry Rosecakes

Fruity Pebble Strawberry Ice Cream Sundaes


Recipe by: Adapted from Cuisinart
Yield: 5 cups, or 10 servings

Strawberry ice cream is already an amazing summertime treat, but this ice cream mixes in fruity, fun kid cereals. It makes a surprisingly delicious ice cream sundae!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled
3/4 cups whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Fruity Pebbles (or similar cereal)
1 cup Cap’n Crunch Oops! All Berries (or similar cereal)

Directions:
Make sure your ice cream maker’s bowl is frozen per manufacturer’s instructions. Process the strawberries in a food processor until they’re finely chopped. In a separate medium bowl, blend together the milk, sugar, and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Mix in the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir in the strawberries (with juice). Cover this mixture and chill it overnight.

Turn on your ice cream maker and pour the mixture into its frozen bowl. Let the ice cream churn until thickened (mine takes about 20 minutes but it depends on your ice cream maker’s instructions). Pour in the Fruity Pebbles and Oops! All Berries cereal and let the mixture continue churning until mixed. Spoon the ice cream out into an airtight resealable container and freeze until firm according to your preference. Serve with extra cereal sprinkled over top, whipped cream, and strawberries.

by | 18 Comments