Sous Chef

Last night I experienced a role reversal - sous chef to chef Blake*. I opened and handed and he did the work! He wanted to learn how to make a cheesecake because his coworkers request them so frequently. He said that he feels bad always asking me to make them a cheesecake on nights that I don't get home until eight or nine pm. So he wanted to learn how to make them for me.

This is just one of the many, many ways that my dear husband is going out if his way and out of his norm to pick up the slack from my working more. He amazes me daily with his willingness to take on things he used to avoid. So blessed to be his wife.

So to brag a little on my hubs here is the cheesecake lesson in which I was only a supportive (and photographer) role.

He made Pumpkin Cheesecake and used this recipe, which I've used before.

Here are the steps, tips and tricks to making a cheesecake, as demonstrated by Blake:

Start with room temp cream cheese. If you forgot to take it out soon enough, put it on the range top while the oven is warming and rotate it occasionally. We have a really hot spot that does a nice job if you rotate it well. 

Tip: easiest way to get cream cheese out is to squeeze
it out like you would a tube of toothpaste.

Crank it up and let it whip
to get any lumps out.

While the cream cheese is whipping, work on the crust. This is a gingersnap crust. We put a box of gingersnaps in the food processor, but you could also put them in a large zip top bag and smack the heck out of them. Add the recommended amount of butter and stick it in the microwave.

Tip: save a dirty dish by melting the butter in the
same bowl as the crumbs (before or after adding the
 crumbs if you're forgetful like me).

Mix in the butter and add the sugar.
Blake is too fast for my camera!

Distribute it through the parchment lined springform pan.
(you can also just dump it in and spread it around)

A bottom-only crust is the easiest. Tamp it down with
anything flat and round.

Using heavy duty foil, unroll about two and a half feet and fold it in half. (you want a square that is large enough to come up the sides of the springform pan without any seams, corners or folds.). Heavy duty foil - doubled is the only fool-proof way that I've discovered to keep the water out. A single layer has been known to leak and regular foil isn't thick enough to resist tearing from the pan, nor is it large enough to cover the entire pan.

Trick: make a splash guard with the foil edges.
You can ruin a perfectly good, well protected
cheesecake by splashing water onto it
when taking it out of the oven. 

Tip: add your water to the broiling pan now,
while you aren't leaning over a hot oven
or carrying a full pan. You can also pour it in the
pan once you've placed it in the oven.

Back to the cheesecake: add the ingredients slowly with the mixer running on medium.

After you add the sugar, kick it back
up to high for a few minutes. This
helps to dissolve the sugar, keeping it
from staying grainy and is the same as the
'creaming' process in baking cookies.

Take it off of the mixer and give it a good
stir. Make sure to get all the way to the
bottom, as plain cream cheese likes
to hang out down there.

Add the eggs, one at a time. If the yokes
were on the small side, don't be afraid to
add an extra yoke. This gives it body
and helps it stay firm but creamy.

Don't whip the batter after adding the eggs. Run it
at medium or slower, otherwise you might get too
much air in it and it'll be a little foamy.
Makes for a funny texture.

This recipe calls for flour (many do) make sure you sift it and add it slowly. Also, because it was a pumpkin cheesecake we needed to add spices, which we sifted into the flour.

Nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cinnamon.

Expert sifting  by Blake.

Add slowly, so you don't get lumps of flour or spice.

Mix in the last few ingredients.

Take out the beater, lick it and check for quality (optional).

Pour into prepared pan(s).

Smooth it out.

Place the whole thing on the middle rack of the preheated oven... very, very, carefully so as not to slosh the water.

While the cheesecake is baking, you can whip up some spiced glaze to decorate with later. Start with basic frosting of powdered sugar and milk. Add pumpkin spices and whisk.

Ground: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves

It tastes better if you mix it in advance and let the
flavors meld. This also goes great with pumpkin scones.

Poor it into a zip top bag... or an icing bag if you
have one of those (you'll cut a tiny corner off later).

Take the cheesecake out of the oven when the top has browned nicely, tiny cracks are forming around the outside and when the center doesn't move like a liquid. It will still be a little jiggly, but will jiggle like set up gelatin instead of like a liquid. You'll know it when you see it.

Let it cool in the pan for at least an hour. Run a knife around the edge right when it comes out and again before you put it in the fridge. Covered or uncovered depends on what the recipe calls for.

Would you look at this! Cheesecake perfection!

Add the spiced frosting drizzle..

Spectacular!! 

Real dedication. This chef was up early
before work to put on the finishing touches.

Blake said that this extra-large cheesecake was gone in less than thirty minutes at seven in the morning! Totally impressed with my husband's baking skills!

And since I'm bragging about his new skills in the kitchen.. here is the last cheesecake I made that he garnished for me before bringing to the picnic. If you'd heard my sleeping stupor instructions to him before he left for work, you'd be impressed too that this is what he pulled off!

*Out of respect for those professionals that spend the time and money to become actual chefs.. please know that neither of us hold culinary degrees. The more appropriate titles here would be: sous-home cook and lead home cook.

The Crush 2011

In Tri-Cities, there isn't much to do. It's a city (well three actually) on a river, in the middle of a desert. And that desert is in the middle of fields. In some of those fields, they grow grapes. Most of those grapes get turned into wine. One of the main, possibly the only, tourist attractions in the area are the many wineries among the fields.

One of the main tourist/wine weekends is around harvest time. In the greater Columbia Valley this is called The Crush. This year (and last year if memory serves correctly) our friends Jason and Whitney Saura came over to visit and go out wine tasting with us. 

The wineries are beautiful and offer spectacular views of the area. Here are some pictures from the better parts of the desert :)

One of our favorite views at Terra Blanca Winery

I love the walkway

 (same place that most of these photos were taken)

On to the next winery!

This is Kiona Vineyards. They have the perfect
setting for a mid-wine tasting tour snack. 

The best way to enjoy wine tasting is with plenty of
food and water. So it doesn't go to your head.
It's part of the fun to make up little cheese,
cracker, meat and fruit trays - takeaway style.

The view from the balcony is fantastic.

Kiona is a native american word which means:
brown hills. Fitting huh :)

Their vines are some of the oldest in Washington.

On our way home we came across this grape.
He was drawing people to a little known winery
up the hill. Ironically, we drive past this every week
and had no idea there was a great winery there. 

Back home, waiting for dinner.

Which of course takes longer when the cook is out
taking pictures ;)

It was such a fun weekend with the Sauras! We always have fun when we spend time with them and this weekend was no different. I'm so thankful for friends that are invested in our lives and make sure to make time to keep the friendship up! 

Happy Fall!

Hold Me

Some days are a struggle and you barely manage to get through each moment from the time you climb out of bed until the time you climb back in it. I have had my share of these days lately.

Then there are other days where each moment brings joy to your heart and a smile on your face. Days where you can't believe how good your life is and never knew you could be this happy. Today was this kind of day.

All day long, despite really early meetings, last minute schedule changes, driving from school to school and job to job, a forgotten lunch and a husband who had the first type of day- God continually brought joy and cheer to my heart.

On days like this I revel in every happy moment, every positive attitude and every natural wonder. The whole world looks brighter and more beautiful - even here in the dry, dusty desert!

This is me stopping and smelling the roses {sniff} {sniff} ahhhhhhh! Thanks Lord for days like this, you melt my heart with love and overflow my cup with supernatural joy, peace and hope.

On the way home from Pendleton, one of my favorite songs came on and drove my great day home. On top of that, it is K-Love's free download song of the week!

Here are the lyrics in case you haven't heard it. I'd highlight the lyrics I love most, but I really can't narrow it down that much. I just love this upbeat song and all the words in it.

Jamie Grace: Hold Me [featuring Toby Mac]

(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) x3
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you, the way you)

I've had a long day I just wanna relax
Don’t have time for my friends, no time to chit-chat
Problems at my job, wonderin’ what to do
I know I should be working but I’m thinking of You and
Just when I feel this crazy world is gonna bring me down
That’s when Your smile comes around

Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love You more than the words in my brain can express
I can’t imagine even loving You less
Lord, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh whoa, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh

(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) x 3
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you)

Well You took my day and You flipped it around
Calmed the tidal wave and put my feet on the ground
Forever in my heart, always on my mind
It’s crazy how I think about You all of the time
And just when I think I’m ’bout to figure You out (figure You out)
You make me wanna sing and shout


Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love You more than the words in my brain can express
I can’t imagine even loving You less
Lord, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh whoa, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh


I’m so grateful and thankful for all You’ve done
Wish I could tell You in a short story or poem
But, all I have is my voice and this guitar
And You have my heart

Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, every day, every day
Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it oh-so-special
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love You more than the words in my brain can express
I can’t imagine even loving You less
Lord, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh whoa, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh I love

(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) x 3
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you, the way you)
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me, hold me, hold me)

Bellingham Visit

Bellingham is close to my heart. Some of my favorite adult years were spent there. Bellingham is where I became my own and owned my faith. I had some great years there as an undergraduate student at Western Washington University, as a believer fed by Campus Christian Fellowship and as an outdoor enthusiast in one of the most beautiful places in the Northwest.

We were brought back to Bellingham this weekend, officially for a wedding, but also because I'd been wanting to go back for a visit for quite some time.

We didn't have as much time for running around as we'd thought and the weather wasn't exactly outdoor exploration kind of weather. So we stuck to the campus and I got to show Blake my old stomping ground.

Old Main (several years) post ivy removal.

Red Square 

The new (much stinking cooler) CSD dept. and
University Speech & Hearing Clinic

Where I spent my two years of on-campus living.

The wedding was gorgeous, but chilly. They had it at a winery - outside - on a drizzly Saturday. The rain held off  long enough for the ceremony and the reception was inside a large tent. It was one of the more meaningful messages I've heard from a pastor at a wedding. I hope that the couple heard those words, but I know they will scarcely remember it. Maybe they have video.

Speaking of video, you've got to see the video of the ring bearer keeping himself occupied during the vows. Probably the cutest thing I've seen in a long time! It's pretty short but you get the point.

I've never uploaded a video before, so hopefully it works.

Here are some pictures from the wedding:

Not a great shot, but what is a story about a wedding
without a picture of the bride and groom.

I wish my snapshot could do the scenery justice.

It was a pretty cute wedding :)

The Lamington

A famous Aussie treat. A favorite dessert of most Australian children and full of nostalgic goodness for most Australian adults.

Remember my first Aussie Lamington experience in the Sydney airport.... mmm... I sure do!

Well it was time to relive it, again. I made Lammies for our Bible study/small group a few weeks after we returned, but I had also promised my co-workers in Pendleton that I'd make them something delicious from Australia. One of those co-workers' husband is from Australia, so she's really excited to take one home to him. She said he's always talking about Lamington... yep, he's an Aussie.

. : : : .

Step One: line your cake pans. Normally you'd use a square or rectangular pan, but my rectangular pan isn't very deep, and Lammies should be cubes. So I used these deeper round cake pans and plan to waste a little. To line, I just use parchment paper cut to fit the bottom and use no-stick spray lightly around the pan before putting the paper in (helps keep the paper in place).

Step Two: Mix your cake ingredients. This recipe is so simple that after looking at a handful of variations, discovering they're all about the same and then making it twice, I pretty much have it memorized. I tried two different recipes and determined that this combination made the best cake.

• 2 C Flour
• 3/4 C Sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup (one stick) of room temp butter (plus 1 TBSP for extra moist cake)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla

Now, I don't care how you do this. I just throw it all in a bowl and mix it up by hand. However, a professional baker would say to cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time and stir until each is incorporated and then add the vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, soda, powder and salt. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just incorporated and most of the lumps are out.

Step Three: Pour your batter into the prepared cake pans. *This recipe only filled one cake pan, beware that you may end up making a double batch like I did. In that case, repeat step two.

Step Four: Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check to see if it is done with a toothpick and keep checking every 2 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean (please excuse my dirty baking stone).

Step Five: Cool cakes. Again, a professional baker would say to cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. I, however, don't have a cooling rack, so I just leave them in the pan until they're cool.

Step Six: Cover with plastic once they're cool and let the cake sit overnight to get a little stale. This helps it hold it's shape when you are dipping it in the icing. Easiest step ever! You can refrigerate the cake.. but if your refrigerator is full of lunch food, then they can sit on the counter.

. : The Next Day : .

Step Seven: Make the frosting. Measure out the following ingredients and sift into a bowl (sifting is actually recommended here, as cocoa powder and powdered sugar tend to have lumps):

• 450 grams of icing sugar, confectioner's sugar, or powdered sugar.
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp of instant espresso powder (optional) **I always add this with chocolate, it makes the chocolate pop. 

Measure these ingredients into a saucepan or microwave safe bowl and heat until just bubbling around the rim, but not boiling. 

• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 TBSP of butter

Mix the warm milk/butter with the sugar/cocoa/espresso until it is smooth. This may take awhile. If it is a bit too thick, add some more milk, one TBSP at a time, until it is between a nectar and a honey consistency. You want it to be thick enough to stick, but not so thick that it gums up on the cake. 

Step Eight: While you are waiting for the milk/butter to get hot, or after if you just read this step - pour 2-3 cups of dessicated coconut into a shallow bowl. You'll need to refill it as you go.

I'm not going to lie. This ingredient was hard to find. I couldn't find it in our town(s) and ended up trying two solutions. One: order it online, often called unsweetened coconut powder and fine flaked macaroon coconut. Two: use easy to find, regular sweetened coconut in one of the following stages: straight out of the bag, toasted in the oven, toasted and blended/food processed to be fine flakes. Toasting and processing will get you the closest to the original. Either way, it'll taste good, just not be as authentic. I will say, that the unsweetened fine flaked coconut made a difference because of the contrast to the sweet chocolate and cake. It's also a lot drier than the sweetened coconut, which is why toasting that type helps.

Step Nine: Cut up your cake into squares. If you made a square or rectangle cake, then this should be easy. One of the main characteristics of a Lamington is that they are square cubes. Trim as needed to make them square-ish and to cut off any dry edges. 

Step Ten: Dip the cake cubes into the icing. Make sure they get covered on all sides. Lift them out with a fork and scrape the drips with a knife or your fingers. If you are a 'use your fingers' type of cook, I found that if you keep two fingers iced on one hand and two fingers coconutty on the other hand, you can get the job done efficiently. I tried a few different methods and found the fork/knife method to work best for me.

Step Eleven: Drop the iced cake square into the coconut bowl. Toss coconut up onto the sides to coat and gently roll to get all sides. 

Step Twelve: Place coconut covered iced cake cubes on a cooling rack or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Repeat steps 10-12 until all cake cubes are done. Before you know it, you'll be running out of coconut and frosting and soon after your cake cubes will disappear too. All you'll be left with is a tray of Lamingtons!

These are reportedly good for up to five days at room temp, covered with plastic. I have yet to see them last five days though. 

Enjoy!