Something about mid May feels great. No horrid heat yet, no jacket weather, everyone seems to be in a good mood - I’ll take it. I also love that it’s planting season. Not sure when I became this person, but here we are.
ADDICTED TO
The $2 coffee from Second Cup. Do not sleep on Second Cup.
BAKING
I made Ina Garten’s coconut cake for Mother’s Day and good god, that’s a good cake. I would absolutely make it again. Almond extract is so underused and I love it. But honestly the frosting especially stands on its own. I might make just the frosting next time and put it on banana bread.
Coconut cake
Frosting Recipe
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted (doesn’t matter if sifted or not)
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
Frosting Instructions
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix until just smooth (don’t whip!).
The next coconut cake I make (which will likely be in a year or so because I think I can only stand coconut once a year) will definitely be the Smith & Wollensky coconut layer cake. It’s on their dessert menu and it’s luxurious and perfect, but seems like a finicky recipe. Have to attempt it, though.
COOKING
Still making the blue sky bran muffins on a loop.
CRAVING
The sun. It’s finally warm today and I might just spend an hour on the lawn and read a book in warmth.
EATING
An incredible beetroot salad at Lobby in Hamilton.
Beetroot salad at Lobby in Hamilton, ON
EXPERIENCING
I know I won’t shut up about this tree, but look at it. She’s gorgeous.
Magnolia tree
HATING
Torrisi in the number three spot of the New York Times list of New York’s top 100 restaurants?! Get real. Overrated as hell.
LEARNING
I did that trick where you wrap fresh/warm cake layers in plastic wrap to lock in moisture before frosting a cake and I think it really worked! Love a new baking tip.
Wrapped cake layers in plastic wrap
LOVING
This article on Martin Short in the New York Times. Great idea from it:
“EVERY MONDAY, Short reflects on the week and gives himself grades in nine categories of life, including Career, Family, Friendship and Lifestyle. The fact that Discipline is one of the nine is telling. He’s done this for decades. Originally, it allowed him to feel good about himself during slow professional stretches. When his career wasn’t going well, he raised his score by working harder on something like Family. There’s clearly a best-selling self-help book here.”
And if you’re curious what all of the nine categories are, I looked it up.
Self: Your own personal physical health, mental well-being, and daily maintenance.
Immediate Family: The core of your daily life, including your spouse, partner, children, and pets.
Original Family: Your relationships with the people you grew up with, including parents and siblings.
Friends: The health, frequency, and attentiveness of your friendships.
Money: Financial security and stability, which provides peace of mind.
Career: How fulfilling and successful your daily work is.
Creativity: Your creative endeavors, outlets, and innate creativity outside of your primary work.
Discipline: The self-control and drive to sustain work toward your goals.
Lifestyle: Are you having fun, making a difference, and actively enjoying your day-to-day life?
God, I love this man. You should really read his memoir.
READING
I found an index of all of Ina Garten’s published recipes and I bookmarked all of the ones I want to try this year. I really can’t remember a time when I tried one of her recipes that fell flat, so that’s what started this journey. Some ones that especially stood out: Roast Chicken with Bread and Arugula Salad, Roasted Italian Meatballs, Maple Roasted Carrot Salad. Wait, maybe I just like roasted things. Also this potato basil puree looks nuts.
SHOPPING
This notepad was on sale at Indigo so I didn’t have a choice but to get it and it’s thick as hell, which is great. It’ll take me forever to go through it.
I also bought another bowl from Zara Home. No idea what I’ll use it for, but she’s gorgeous.
Rose bowl from Zara Home
WATCHING
We saw Hokum in theatres and wow. It’s almost refreshing to see such a laughably bad movie. Terrible writing, awful story, Zero respect for Adam Scott doing it.
