A Childhood Chocolate Favorite - An Editorial Photo Shoot and Foodstyling Project

When it comes to your own personal history with food, how far back can you remember? Most chefs and passionate home cooks that I know can easily recollect the first dishes they made or the person that taught or inspired them to cook.

I started cooking and baking as soon as I could stand on a chair and reach the stove. One of my very first cakes was an easy recipe that was on the back of a Hershey's Cocoa can. There's a reason why this recipe is 40-plus years old and garners so many five-star ratings on their website's comments section. Using this as inspiration, I recently collaborated with photographer Rachelle Bendixen on an editorial photo project that tells a story about making this simple and delicious rustic cake. As a commercial food stylist, I don't always get the opportunity to share my work here on my blog – it usually goes straight to my business site's portfolio section. With this project, however, the personal connection that I have with this cake lends itself perfectly to my blog as well. I'm excited to share the results of our work here...

I wanted to style this shoot with the simplest props to help tell a story about the history of this cake from my perspective. She gave me full creative reign and captured beautiful images (as well as a soon-to-be-released podcast that she has been laboring over).

My prop choices were rustic old baking tools with a lovely patina and dark, distressed wood. Some of the utensils have actually been in the family for several generations. For the backdrop, Rachelle chose a beautiful piece of steel that she buffed to bring out the swirls of patina. Her lighting was perfect and the mood was dark and rustic.

I brought my son in to be our hand model for this shoot and to me, it just adds to the story telling by adding another generation.

Keeping with the simplistic theme, I went with an easy ganache for both the filling (chilled and whipped) and the topping (warm).

If you are looking for an absolutely easy and decadent cake, I highly recommend this recipe.  Give it a try and let me know how you like it. Do you have a favorite recipe, cake of otherwise, that has stayed in your repertoire since your childhood?


A huge thank you to Rachelle for her open heart on this project. I am so grateful that she was able to capture my vision and the rustic charm and love I have for this cake, not to mention her countless hours in creating and editing the podcast. I would also be remiss if I did not thank my son and occasional assistant for generously stepping in as our model - I adore you and I love that you have the same passion for food as your Mama - may you continue to pursue food with passion and creativity. And also to my husband and partner in life for all of the graphic design and text editing. 

Upside Down Chocolate Blood Orange Cake

Have you ever had "one of those days" that turns into "one of those seasons"?

If you're a follower of my blog, you might be wondering if I have "checked-out" because I have not posted much lately. The truth is,  I've taken some time off from blogging to concentrate on my business and get a little more focused on my website. As grateful as I am for my business, I also long for those days when I could just throw myself in the kitchen and bake for no other reason than the cathartic essence of non-work-related baking. I absolutely love what I do for a living and after 30-plus years, being able to have that "dream job" is something I pinch myself over every morning when I wake.  I'm not sure what happened, but last week I found myself in need of some serious "zen baking" and as luck or God would have it, a day came up with no appointments, family business, lacrosse games, or anything else to take up my time. So in the kitchen I went.

I love winter citrus, mostly because of my beautiful Meyer lemon tree that continues to be prolific year after year. This year, my blood orange tree came back with a few oranges (we thought it was a goner after freezing a couple of years in a row) and so I wanted to pay homage to the gorgeous red and orange, sunset-colored flesh of this delicious citrus. It's a natural to pair orange with chocolate, so I set out to research chocolate and orange desserts.

Not quite Nigella makes a really good blood orange cake that I've made before, so I adapted her recipe but opted for a dark chocolate cake base. What I love about upside down cakes are that one recipe can make two cakes, since they are not layered, or three smaller cakes (like I did here), so you can give them as gifts.

It makes sense that after being on hiatus for a few months and having a schedule that seems so upside-down that I would come back with this cake, I'm jus' sayin'! 



Upside Down Chocolate Blood Orange Cake

 Ingredients:

Topping:
3 Blood Oranges (sliced thin, ideally on a mandoline)
1 Cup of Water
1/2 Cup of Sugar



Cake:
One recipe of your favorite Chocolate Cake (you can use a box or your favorite from scratch).
My go-to, never fail recipe since forever is this Hershey's recipe.

It's important to line your pans with parchment paper, as the oranges can become quite sticky.

Make your cake batter and set it aside.





Decide on how many cake pans you will need. I went with two 5 1/2 in. and one 7 1/2 in. One batch of cake batter will yield up to two 9 in. pans.

Pre-heat oven to 350˚




In a heavy, large skillet, stir the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and bubbles are forming around the outer rim of the skillet.  Carefully place your orange slices in the skillet so that they are all easily covered with the syrup. You may have some overlapping - I used a chopstick to maneuver the slices without breaking them.



Lower the heat and continue to boil until the rinds on the oranges are translucent.  Carefully remove (I used the chopstick) the slices and lay on a parchment lined cookie sheet.




Bring syrup back up to boil and reduce until they are a corn syrup consistency.






Using a pastry brush distribute the thick syrup amongst your pans.
Carefully arrange orange slices overlapping each other to cover the baking pans.




Distribute your chocolate cake batter among your pans. Bake as followed per cake recipes or back of box mix.
I baked my pans for 25 min until a tooth pick came out clean in the middle.
As soon as you pull the cakes out, let rest for 5 min, then invert onto a plate. Carefully peel away the parchment paper to reveal the glazed oranges. Cool completely.

12 Days of Cookies

It's that time of year again, when holiday baking takes center stage. Whether you bake all year 'round or just for the holidays, you probably have an arsenal of your favorite "go-to" recipes. Personally, I prefer to mix up my traditional recipes with new ones, especially when there are people on my recipient list that have specific dietary restrictions.

Last year I was honored to be a part of Local Savour's 12 Days of Cookies blogger round-up. I'm equally honored to have been asked to take part again this year and submit one of my favorite cookies. I have several friends on my cookie list that are gluten intolerant so I thought I would share a couple of my favorite gluten free cookie recipes.

The first cookie, a Chocolate Orange Truffle, came from testing a number of gluten-free flour blends, with mostly frustrating results. I ended up trying it with no flour and that proved to be the winner. That was last year when I had only just started dabbling in the gluten-free world.

Now a year later I'm a bit braver and hopefully wiser when it comes to gluten-free baking - not to mention all of the additional options now available with gluten-free flours.  I was only asked to contribute one cookie for this year's round-up but I'm a girl of options so I'm throwing in my second favorite gluten-free cookie. Inspired by the ginger cookies from Starbucks, I came up with this gluten-free version. Whether you try one of the delicious choices from Local Savour or one from your own family recipe box, remember to take the time to enjoy your sweet success... I'm jus' sayin!

Chocolate Orange Truffle Cookies

3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 egg whites (at room temperature)
1 tbs. of orange juice
2 tbs of orange zest
1 tbs. of vanilla
2 cups of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Place parchment lined cookie sheet in freezer to chill.

In a large mixing bowl with a whisk, mix the sugar, cocoa and salt. With a wooden spoon, mix the egg whites, orange juice, zest and vanilla. When mixed well, stir in the chips and incorporate well. Place tablespoon sized mounds on baking sheet and bake 12-13 minutes until they have a nice sheen and hold there shape. Cool and enjoy with a glass of milk. No, really, you will need something to drink with these bad boys. They are decadent and rich. Oh, and gluten free! *Insert jazz hands here*

Gluten Free Spicy Ginger Cookies

2 1/4 cups of gluten-free flour (I use Namaste)

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. clove

3 tbs. of minced candied ginger

3/4 cups unsalted butter 

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1/4 cup molasses

Granulated sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 375. Line 2 baking dishes with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda , salt and dry spices. Set aside.

In a mixer cream together butter, sugar and molasses. Add egg. Slowly mix in the flour mixture and then the candied ginger. When all is incorporated, use a 1/4 cup measure to make dough scoops. Roll dough in granulated sugar. Place cookie dough ball on cookie sheet. Moisten your fingers with water and gently press down on top of sugared dough. Bake for 12 minutes (rotating at 7 minutes) until they have spread and are firm to touch. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

A Kid In A Candy Store

"Be absolutely persistent in all attitudes regarding quality. Buy only the best ingredients obtainable. Offer the most delicious and interesting assortments of candies possible. Provide the highest level of customer service in all aspects of business." ~ The See's Candies Philosophy

What a great philosophy.  One that could be adapted to my job and many others. As a kid growing up in Northern California, See's candy was our normalcy.  Those black, white and gold boxes showed up at almost every holiday and special occasion in our house. I equate these chocolates to my childhood. We did not dare purchase a Whitman's sampler box, as my Grandma always reminded me that they did not have the same quality as See's. I don't know if that is truth, but I always listened to Grandma and if she said Mary See was the best, then I believed her. Over the years I've had my favorites. Our family was a "Nut and Chew" family so creams rarely made their way to our home.  A see's tradition is to offer a free sample candy with every visit, so naturally, I looked forwrd to going there and I always choose something unique. Scotchmallows were my first introduction to their signature honey marshmallow. Marshmints with their green jelly were a St. Patty's Day tradition until they took them off the market in the 80's for lack of sales. Always being true to the consumer, Chuck Huggins (the CEO) received a letter in the late 80's from a devoted Marshmint fan, respectfully asking for them to come back. Not only did he bring them back, he included a little Marshmint Club member card when you purchased them. (I have somehow lost mine over the years).

See's is a tradition, if you grew up with them then you likely also introduced your children to them at some point. My son used to love the scotch kisses (still does), and we loved that we could just go in and buy him a small box of those. Unfortunately, my daughter did not have much of an opportunity to fall in love with See's because we moved to Texas when she was two. She knows how good they taste (online purchases) but has not had the opportunity to experience the feeling of walking into a shop (that will change shortly).

You never realize what you miss until it's gone. I remember the first Christmas here in Texas I started missing my traditional nuts and chews, or the beloved molasses chips and sweet gourmet lolipops. I was quick to find them online and order them but it still lacked the tradition of walking in to that crystal clean white and black store-with the sales staff smiling at you and welcoming you with a free sample.
 
Jumping forward to now,  I saw an invite for a soft opening for the new Sees candy shop opening in North Austin on my Austin Bloggers page. I had not previously heard this news and was so excited! I jumped on that free ticket (and glad I did because they went fast). The event was sponsored by Orange Wall Collective and all the district managers and See's PR people were there to welcome us and give us a fun filled sweet night. Of course, now that I'm practicing a low glycemic lifestyle, I had to take into consideration that my body could only handle a few free samples. But needless to say on this special occasion, I decided to leave that lifestyle at the door and let my taste buds go so that I could go back to a sweeter time in life when customer service meant a warm smile and a free sample of delicious, quality made candy! I'm jus' sayin'!

*Disclaimer - For the record, I mean no disrespect to Austin's own candy store Lammes. They also make delicious candy and I am pretty certain that if you asked an Austinite that had to move to a new state they would miss Lammes just like I missed See's. It's all about tradition and what you are raised on.

I'm serious about the smiles in this place.

This uniform never gets old nor does the smile.

The uniform has not changed much from 1930's Still crisp and clean.

Candy Maps as a reference provided at candy counter.

Everyone has their favorite - this is one of my Tequila Guy's.

My Son's Favorite.

Plenty of Easter options.

Know a co-worker in need of a pick me up?

My Mom's Favorites.

One of my Favorites.

Can't decide - they've got that covered too.

Fun highlight of the night - we had to work on a candy line and it's much harder than it looks!. We were in some serious competition to get our box filled first. We tied with the other team.

Believe it or not, there is a method to the perfect candy placement in those boxes.

Fun night with fellow Austin Bloggers.

And the SWAG! Enough candy to last me for quite a while, but don't worry See's, I will be back soon!

Is It Milk & Cookie Time?

September is here which means it's back to school and back to regular routines in this and so many other homes across America. Summer is fun with it's lazy days and schedules, however, Fall is and always will be the season I hold dear to my heart. This is the time that we start penciling in the lacrosse games, orchestra concerts, confirmation and all the other events we can squeeze into one school year. We are also dusting off the crockpot and getting back to planning dinners and baking comfort foods when time allows.

All of this planning and scheduling makes me think back to when I was a kid and the only thing I could think about after school was running home for a snack. I was fortunate that my Mom was a piano teacher so she worked from home. We had to be really quiet when we came in from school in case she was in the middle of a lesson, but we could always forage a snack for ourselves from the pantry. I was not involved in after-school sports or activities like my daughter is today. I had my snack while doing homework and if I got done quickly enough I might have time for 30 minutes of cartoons or get a life lesson in from watching the ABC after school specials. After that, I pretty much played outside till the dinner bell rang. I sometimes wish it was still as simple as I remember it, but the kids today seem to have so much more to keep them busy and because of that we tend to start looking for shortcuts where we can find them. I work part time from home which means on some days I have time to create snacks and dinners that are more labor intensive. But like many busy moms I sometimes have those days where I'm just happy when my kid grabs a protein bar and a bottle of water on her way to practice.

For the most part I always try to be an advocate for baking from scratch, however, I am also a realist and know that there is not always time to go that route. Today is one of those days. I wanted to have a snack for my daughter and her friends when they came home so I grabbed the box of cake mix that I keep in the pantry for emergencies and baked up some super quick double fudge cookies. They are quick and easy and at the end of a busy day for both of us, I'm just happy to see the smile it gives her and not whether or not I get the Betty Crocker Mom of the Year Award. However, if I used Betty Crocker Cake Mix, does that count?  I'm jus' sayin'!

Cake Mix Cookies 

1 box of your favorite flavored cake mix (I used Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge)
1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup of Dark Chocolate Chips (you can omit these if you are using a different cake flavor)

Mix all of the above. Scoop onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350º for 9 minutes. Let cool and enjoy! Yep, that easy.  Feel free to experiment with different cake flavors and add-in's. I would love to hear about your favorites.

Gifts of Love

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Desmond was certainly on to something when he made that quote. Today is Valentines Day, the day that will either guilt you into buying stock in Hallmark or make your way through a bottle of red on your own. Or perhaps it will just be another day that goes on unnoticed.

As far back as I can remember, my Mom has celebrated Valentines Day. It was particularly important to her to make sure that we always had a special day to honor the gifts that God gave us, to her we were those gifts. Over the years my brothers and I would find ourselves with or without a special valentine in our lives, however, one thing we could always count on was a place-setting at Mom's table. Of course on Valentines day, there would be some little sweet treat wrapped in red tissue paper, a sweet card and a little paper cup filled with conversation hearts. It seems kind of cheesy but it's those sweet gestures we remember from our childhood that form the traditions we have now for our own families. I still do this same tradition with my family dinner even now, but with a little twist.
My husband and I never made it a tradition or habit to go out to eat on Valentine's Day (too expensive in the early years and far to stressful to get reservations). Instead, we started a tradition early on in our marriage where one of us would cook the dinner and the other would make dessert. Each year we would switch and that just became our "thing". My husband is an amazing cook and when he does jump into the kitchen you can bet you will be sitting down to a four star meal. For me, it’s just about the best gift of love there is., when someone pours their love and efforts into a meal. I truly appreciate that my Mom instilled in us at an early age that love comes in the little things that we do daily for one another. Cards and chocolates are sweet but being able to share a meal with the people you love or telling them daily how important they are far exceeds a Hallmark card... I’m jus' sayin'!

Little gifts of candy wrapped in red tissue

You guessed it - I got to make dessert this year. A simple dark chocolate bundt cake with fresh berries.
You can find the recipe here.

Chocolate Caliente

I remember the first time I had Mexican hot chocolate. It was at my dear friend Martha's home when she asked me to stir the pot of chocolate that was on her stove. I took the whisk to the pot of creamy delicious dark elixir and as I stirred, I could smell the cinnamon and chocolate dancing together. After taking a sip of what I'd been stirring, I realized right then that I had been missing out on a truly unique cultural experience. Martha also liked to add coffee to her cocoa to make a delicious Mexican Mocha. Over the years, Martha taught me so much about her heritage and the art of Mexican cuisine and I am forever grateful for the time she spent with me, planting the seeds in me to learn more. Now that sugar is not my first go-to option, I have to change things up a bit - or should I say "spice" things up a bit. It's a challenge at times, but thanks to these memories, I have somewhere to start... I'm jus' sayin'!

Because I am now following a low glycemic lifestyle, I am constantly trying to take my favorite recipes and revamp them to work within my dietary framework. I searched the internet for a recipe for chocolate and came across this delightful recipe from "Chocolate Covered Katie". (If you have never seen her blog, I highly recommend it. She has lots of low-glycemic recipes for some favorite and traditional dishes and treats.) I added some flavors to this one to recreate that Mexican-flavored chocolate and because I can't have Stevia, I opted to use agave instead. It made for a softer, more "ganache" texture. When I made a batch using Stevia, however, it had much more of a crisp snap to it.

Low Glycemic Mexican Haute Chocolate Bars
Adapted from: Three-Ingredient Chocolate Bars: Chocolate Covered Katie

In a bowl combine the following:

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 4 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 1 pinch of chipotle powder (depending on taste you can add more)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Pour into molds. I used a recycled plastic apricot container I got from Costco for the Stevia chocolate. For the agave, I used some vintage tart molds I sprayed with cooking spray. You could use any plastic candy molds.

Chocolate Drops made with Stevia

When I melted it to make my Mexican Haute Chocolate, I used 4 oz of the agave chocolate bar and 6 oz of Coconut Almond Milk. I brought it to a simmer and whisked it vigorously. I then poured them into mugs to serve.