The Never Ending Summer

For lots of parents out there this looks like it might be the never ending summer. Unfortunately, not because the summer weather will persist, but because schools may not reopen.  Oh boy, so many feelings in our household about that.  Too many feelings and many of them are conflicting!

I’ve decided to just roll with the punches, whatever happens.  My company has decided to keep its employees working from home until July of 2021, in part to allow us the flexibility to deal with the uncertainties around education and childcare for our children, which I appreciate so incredibly much.  After barely escaping layoffs at both of our companies, we are in the extremely fortunate position of being able to “roll with the punches” without losing our jobs, or not being able to afford the mortgage, or being forced to make any of the impossible choices those less fortunate than us have been faced with these last few months. 

Eve’s been taking her Sunday afternoon nap under the tent at Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove for the last several weeks.

Am I concerned about what school will look like for my kids this year, and how it will impact their development, health and safety? Absolutely. Do I wish there was some certainty so that I could make plans for childcare and my work schedule? Yep. The wish list is long. But life has always been unpredictable. The events of the last few months have just highlighted this - lest we become complacent. Did we get too used to going about our lives without a global pandemic to turn the most common of activities into deadly encounters? I guess so. 

When she wakes up she eats Joanie’s Pizza. LIVIN’ THE LIFE!!! #LongGrove

Anyway, I'm trying to accept the uncertainty and enjoy the moment because I know that we really are so blessed. And if 2020 has taught me anything, it is that nothing is owed. We should be grateful for all of our blessings right now while we have them. 

In that spirit I've embraced lots of things this never ending summer including...wait for it... boxed desserts! Have you ever had brookies (brownies + cookies, or does everyone already know what these are?) from a box? Pure genius I tell you. 

We made these brookie cookies n' cream ice cream sandwiches the other day and they were awesome. It was definitely easy enough for the kids to do themselves although step #2 wall all me.

Here's how we did it.

1- We used the boxed Brookie mix and spread the batter out as thin as we could on a baking tray, then baked for less time (because they are thinner) than the instructions told us, though I do not remember how much less, we just kept checking them for doneness. 

 2 - I guarded them like a hawk so that my little army wouldn't devour them before we could make them into ice cream bars. 

3 - Once they were room temperature, we cut them into two large squares that I could insert into a square cake pan. 

4 - We lined the cake pan with saran wrap, then put one brookie piece in.  

5 - We spread the brookie piece with softened cookies 'n cream ice cream (because I would have had to go to the store for vanilla).

6 - Then we put the other brookie piece on top, wrapped the saran wrap over the entire thing, put it back into the cake pan and loaded it into the freezer to harden. 

7 - The next day (though it could be an hour or two later) we took the HUGE ice cream sandwich out of the cake pan and cut it into small pieces with a serrated knife. 

8 - Then I hid a few of them in the back of the freezer for myself before handing them out to the kids. 

 You’re welcome.  Oh yeah, and if you are looking for somewhere low-key and very social-distancing friendly you should check out Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove. We have been going there every weekend. It’s been so nice to get out of the house and for the kids to be able to see their Uncle and Grandpa. It would also be a great spot for a date IMO. There is a lot of outdoor seating, appropriately spaced out for social distancing, and it is bring your own food (or order it, we've been getting chicken and pizzas from Joanie's...yum).  

Sampling the ROOT beer at Buffalo Creek Brewing.

 Now go on and enjoy your never ending summer. xoxo

Double Streusel Cherry Almond Coffee Cake

Mountains of streusel.

Lately we’ve been playing a game at dinner where we ask each other questions. Emmett thinks this is so fun and I do too. We learn all kinds of funny things about each other that somehow, we have never covered before. It’s fun for parents and kids because it's middle ground between adult conversations (BORING) and discussing the latest toy craze and why “We NEED those toys in our lives!”.  It’s a game where we can all participate equally. The other night the question was “What is your favorite breakfast?” So that led us down the path of what the best breakfast foods are. Paul mentioned coffee cake, then why we never have it, and casually, “We should make a cherry coffee cake sometime.” Asking for a specific baked good just days before Father’s Day? Well played Paul. Well played. 

“We” got the hint. Truthfully, I don’t know why we don’t have coffee cake more often. It’s so good. And I know I never make it, because I remember the last time I made a coffee cake. VIVIDLY. It was just over four years ago. The day before Eve was born. New neighbors had moved in down the street. I bought all of the ingredients to make them a “welcome-to-the-neighborhood-cake” and didn’t want a little thing like going into labor to cause them to go to waste. Ha! So I made the cake and had 3-year-old Emmett bring it over to their house with me. Because it was for them, we never had a chance to taste it. I remember it looking delicious and thinking that I probably should have made a double batch.  This became especially obvious to me the next morning when I finally had baby Eve in my arms after a long night at the hospital. 

This baby is thick.

I don’t remember much about the recipe or what I changed back then but I do remember that it came from King Arthur Flour and it was a recipe for blueberry coffee cake. When I decided to make this one, I went back to that same recipe and adapted it to make something cherry and almond flavored. Cherry as requested, almond because it goes so well with cherries and we all love it.  I added a touch of cardamom just because. I also used cake flour, because I have some and because I recently looked up several coffee cake recipes where cake flour was used so I thought, why not? 

The top photo is with double streusel, the bottom is with original amount. The batter becomes really thick after adding the frozen fruit.

Initially, I made half of the streusel but once I put it on top of the batter it looked sad and sparse, so I doubled it. How much is too much crunchy, buttery topping? I don’t know. But let me tell you what isn’t too much. Double. I mean this clearly isn’t diet food. I believe that you should just make cake that tastes amazing and have a smaller piece.  I used frozen cherries, which is one reason I think this cake took so long to bake. I know it seems long, but promise it took the entire 75 minutes! Even then I was wondering if I was pulling it too soon, but after letting it cool in the pan for a little while, it ended up being perfectly cooked through.  I was checking intermittently from the 40 minute mark. Even though I used a 9-inch pan, with all that streusel this cake came out tall and thick. I have no idea how to remove a cake like this from a regular cake pan, so I used a springform pan which worked well. For our purposes it wouldn’t have mattered (since we are always happy to eat straight from the pan), but if you want to remove it and put it on a plate, keep in mind that you might lose some streusel when you turn it out onto one. 

This should be my new zoom background.

Double Streusel Cherry Almond Coffee Cake 

Ingredients 

For Streusel

2/3 cup  sugar

1 cup cake flour (or all-purpose)

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, at cool room temperature  

For Cake

2 cups cake flour or all-purpose

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract 

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

12 ounces frozen cherries

Directions

 Streusel

Grease a 9-inch cake or springform pan.

 For streusel, combine flour, sugar, salt, cardamom and almond extract in a bowl.

Using a pastry cutter or your hands, combine butter into flour mixture until the texture is crumbly.  Set aside. 

Cake

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine sugar, and butter in the bowl of a mixer and mix until fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add egg and extracts and continue to beat for another few minutes until the mixture is pale and well combined.

While you are mixing the butter and sugar, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. 

Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture.  

Once milk and flour mixture are thoroughly combined with the butter mixture, add frozen cherries and stir until just combined. 

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and top with streusel. 

Bake for 65 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Wholemeal Waffles

How’s your June going? We’re happy to report that the store is OPEN.  The health and safety of our customers and employees is our highest priority. We’re limiting the number of customers inside the store at once and making sure that all employees and customers wear masks. We also have contactless checkout! We’re getting used to this new normal and working hard to make sure that all of our employees and customers stay safe and healthy. Thank you to all of our staff and customers for your ongoing support. It’s such a tough time for small businesses everywhere and we consider ourselves extremely lucky to have such loyal customers and employees. 

On a personal level, it makes me extremely sad to think about all of the businesses and restaurants that are struggling right now or have closed and may not reopen due to this pandemic. My father recently sent me an email outlining the difficulties and perils of running a small business, having read numerous articles on the subject in the last few months. I know for a fact that it is not easy. Running your own small business is a labor of love, but as I have witnessed, it is also rewarding in many intangible ways. We run into people all the time who have been to Paddy’s and have a story to tell.  So many people who met my mother-in-law have very specific memories of her from times they shopped in the store and I love how that helps to keeps her memory alive.  

 As someone who has always worked for companies or the government, there are so many things I take for granted, my 401(k), health insurance, predictable income.  This pandemic has also made me realize that while I enjoy the security that a corporate job offers, I don’t want to live in a world where amazon.com is the only place to shop, one where there are no local, one-of-a-kind, neighborhood restaurants. I don’t want to live in a world where we no longer have those places and experiences in common with others in our community. I don’t think anyone else does either. So I’m hopeful that one of the lasting changes that comes out of this pandemic is that we all appreciate and support local small businesses more. I know that I can do my part to spend more locally and I’m endeavoring to do that as things begin to open up here in Chicago.

Yikes! Not sure how I went from “Yay! The stores are open!” to the future of the American community, but I’m pretty sure I’d rather talk about waffles.  My kids would eat a hot, homemade breakfast every day if we weren’t always rushing out the door. So as you might imagine, we have been making waffles much more often ever since we started sheltering in place in March. I’ve made waffles with yeast, rice flour, various different mixes and mix-ins, and lately, these amazing waffles adapted from a recipe from Deb Perlman that was published in Bon Appetit. 

The original recipe calls for whole wheat flour and instant oats, Irish ingredients that I’ve got in spades. I substitute the whole wheat flour in the recipe for an equal amount of the Odlums coarse wholemeal flour that I’m obsessed with.  For the liquid, Deb uses plain yogurt, melted butter and an egg.  I’ve mixed that up a bit and usually use melted coconut oil, egg and either tofu or cottage cheese. I know, I know. Cottage cheese in waffles or pancakes is one thing but tofu? I got this idea from somewhere on the internet many years ago and I promise you, tofu waffles are SO good. They are also super nutritious and my kids have never noticed there is a whole bunch of tofu in there. #winning. I add a little bit of sugar and some warm spices because we are all fans of fruit, butter and syrup on waffles. The sugar and spices can be omitted if you want to make a savory version, which would be great, IMO, with eggs, bacon, cheese and hot sauce. 

Dry ingredients.

Add a little milk if the batter is too thick to spread, but not too much, it should end up being the consistency of cooked oatmeal (see below).

Don’t worry if your batter is lumpy and thick and hard to spread on the waffle iron. That’s how it should be!

This is how I weigh down my waffle maker.

Crispy tops.

Thanks to my brother-in-law John I am still on an Odlums kick. I actually had no idea that Oldums wholemeal flour came in “Coarse” and “Super Coarse” but I’m now the proud owner of a bag of super coarse, which I am super excited to try in this recipe.  I’m pretty sure I am going to love it even more than the regular coarse stuff. 

 One word of warning so that you don’t make the same mistake I did. Don’t undercook these. The first time I made them, the flavor was good but they were not crispy at all and kind of floppy, nothing like what I was expecting from my Odlums flour which usually adds a ton of texture and sturdiness.  After that, I made sure to weigh down the lid of my waffle maker and cook them for a long time. Problem solved. These should be really crunchy on the outside.  In fact, when made with cottage cheese, they come out with caramelized tops from the areas where little bits of cottage cheese come into contact with the waffle grid.  

Wholemeal Waffles

Ingredients

1 cup Odlums coarse wholemeal flour

½ cup quick cooking oats

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

¼  tsp baking soda

¼  tsp pumpkin pie spice or mix of warm spices (e.g. ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice etc.)

2 tbs sugar

1 cup cottage cheese, plain yogurt or soft tofu

1 large egg

2-3 tbs melted butter or melted coconut oil

Milk as necessary to loosen up the batter

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine thoroughly.

2. Add melted butter or oil to dry ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated.

3. Make an indent in the middle of the dry ingredients, add egg, tofu, yogurt, or cottage cheese and stir. 

4. If using yogurt, you may or may not need to add milk. If using cottage cheese or tofu, some milk will probably be needed to loosen up the batter. 

5. In any event, the batter should be THICK, about the consistency of oatmeal.

6. It’s not easy to spread it into the waffle maker because it should be sticky and thick so just do your best, it will be fine! 

7. I usually put a heavy ovenproof pot on top of my waffle maker to ensure maximum crisp.