Birthday Baking Part 1: Salted Caramel

My dad's birthday is on Tuesday and we're planning a baseball-themed party.

I volunteered to be in charge of desert so I'm making an appropriately baseball-themed desert: 

Crackerjack Cupcakes (& cake balls)!

Because there are a few steps involved I thought I'd share and break the process down into two posts.

First up: salted caramel.

Be warned, this is DELICIOUS and you will have a hard time not eating most of this before you use it. 

Make extra.

(Recipe from The Brunette Baker)

Makes 2 cups.

• Over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup sugar with 4 tbsp water and bring to a boil. Without stirring, allow sugar to boil until it turns a golden-amber colour - about 6 or 7 minutes. **Do not leave the stove as this colour change happens quickly** 
• Remove from heat and carefully add in 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 tsp vanilla. Do this carefully as the mix will bubble up. 
• With a wooden spoon, stir in 3/4 cup room temperature butter and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir until butter is melted and incorporated.  Pour into a container and allow to cool. 
• Dip everything in your kitchen into a spoonful of this sauce and try not to eat the entire jar. 

I want to make so much more of this sauce. 

So much more.

Save at least a cup of this for part two of the cracker jack cupcake recipe!

Eggs Benedict

 

Things have been quiet here for a little while because I've been busy working and trying to sort out a bunch of things.

 

As always, I took on more shifts than I maybe should have.

I work tonight, then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night but then as of Monday morning I am on a mini-vacation until Friday the 5th.

 

I was supposed to be on a plane to San Francisco right now.

One of my good friends moved there earlier this year and since we don't get to see her too often, my best friend and I decided we would take off to visit her in sunny California.

We booked our trip in November, and then the holidays rolled around, then I was off in Tanzania for 2 weeks. When I got back I submitted my request for time off but it was denied, as the other nurse had already requested to be off for the long weekend.

I emailed, I phoned (sometimes a few times) and left messages, but no one was able (or willing in some cases) to work any of my shifts.

So here I am.

At least I'm making time and half to update my blog!

 

The story gets more depressing - after my disappointment at having to cancel my SF trip, I was invited to join a number of my girlfriends in the Bahamas! But one evening, after having spent the afternoon on the phone canceling one trip and rebooking another, I got the bad news that the Bahamas trip wasn't going to work out.

So I had a good cry in frustration then called Expedia back and canceled a second trip.

 

Small things to get upset about in the grand scheme of things but I've already been feeling pretty worn out and fed up with my nights-only work schedule here.

I feel like it's starting to take a toll on the quality of my marriage and on my friendships.

 

April will be a month of resolutions:

To spend more quality time with John and to make sure he knows how much I appreciate him.

To spend more time with friends and make time for the people I haven't seen in awhile.

To work less and take more time to be happy.

 

I'm really looking forward to being off next week.

I'm getting my hair done, I have a date with a good friend, and my sister and I are going to a baseball game. And that's only one day!

 

Tomorrow John and I are having a "day-t" as he calls it.

Once I've woken up we're going to have breakfast in bed with a movie, then go for a run together, then spend the rest of the evening being lazy and in love.

 

I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Also... this is all I've been craving for the past few hours.

 

 

I may stop and pick up some of the essentials on my way home in order to make this as some point this weekend.

I'm going to use Martha's recipe, found here (and here for the hollandaise sauce).

 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Here's looking forward to a happy & healthy April!

 

 

Raspberry Coulis

Last day of work - then tonight the big cottage dinner grocery shop and tomorrow the rest of the errand-running - including, but not limited to: finding my fantastic wolf sweater, looking for birthday running shoes, and picking up more than I need from Dollarama.

I have a new list of things to get from the much beloved dollar store as John's brother is leaving for La-La Land for the month of August!

I think it's wonderful that he's heading to the West Coast (love this song by Jason Schwartzman''s coconut records) to get his name out there in the music biz. What an adventure!

So I have to put together a little L.A. survival package for him, obviously. Things he will find within said package may include a disguise, a guide to the paparazzi hotspots, an US Weekly, madeleines (made fresh this morning with lime instead of lemon), an autograph book.....other items will depend on what the dollar store has to offer.

In other news, I needed to find a basic recipe for raspberry coulis so that John and I can make it for our grilled peaches with vanilla yogurt desert.

Martha never let's me down. Simple and elegant.

Raspberry Coulis

• In a small saucepan over medium heat, boil 12 ounces of raspberries and 3/4 cup of sugar for 10 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Strain through a fine sieve, add water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture resembles a sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Doesn't get any easier than that!

Don't know if you've seen this yet but THIS VIDEO is great.