Cherry blossoms and kites in DC

It's that time of year when Washington realizes that winter is (finally) over and tourist season has begun. I plan to join the crowds around the Tidal Basin this week, but we have some of D.C.'s favorite flower right in our front yard. The old cherry tree that looks so sad most of the year (and lost a couple of branches in Snowpocalypse) finally has its week to shine. And, the always-entertaining event on the Cherry Blossom Festival's opening day -- the Smithsonian Kite Festival -- happened on a beautiful, sunny day on the Mall. 
Happy spring!

(our poor cherry tree went from snow-covered branches to ones full of blossoms!)

(Photos by H. Farrell)

Pittsburgh's colors

Growing up in the Midwest, I know how gray everything can be after months of snow, dirty snow, salt-covered roads and cloudy winter skies. A clear, sunny day -- no matter the temperature -- is always welcome, if only for the blue sky and brighter landscape. It was one of those days on a recent weekend in Pittsburgh. The sky set off the vivid yellow bridges downtown, giving even more color to a city awash in black and gold.

(Photos by H. Farrell)

Sweet and savory carrots

Carrots are one of those vegetables, along with spinach and broccoli, that are fine raw but are so much easier to eat when cooked. I made up this recipe while walking home from work, enjoying the sun and warm temperatures. Great weather must be inspirational, because this turned out to be really good!

Sweet and savory carrots

1 lb baby carrots 
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 T olive oil, plus about 1 tsp for bottom of pan
2 T pure maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper

Stir together all ingredients except carrots and onions. Combine carrots and onions, pour sauce mixture over veggies (go ahead and use your hands to mix it well!). Line a baking pan with foil and spread a thin layer of olive oil over the bottom. Pour in veggies and cover pan with foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 30-35 minutes, then an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered.

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

A fruit spread made for summer

If the recipe in yesterday's post was a throwback to autumn, this is a preview of summer. It's light, tangy and completely refreshing. Alright, now I want some. This would be perfect on soft fresh bread or over sorbet. Now we just need the sun to come out and the days to get a little warmer...

Summer fruit spread

1 package (16 oz) frozen blackberries
1 package (16 oz) frozen mango pieces
1 T sugar
1/2-1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp (a pinch) dried mint

Thaw and drain fruit, process in a food processor until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and serve chilled.

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

Breakfast fruit and yogurt pudding

This might seem out of season, as many of the ingredients are associated with autumn, leftover from recipes I made in colder months. But it turned out to be a tasty side with an egg sandwich in the morning. Think of it as a farewell to winter. 

Breakfast fruit and yogurt pudding

(measurements are estimates)
3/4 cup apple slices (I used frozen apples, thawed and well drained)
cinnamon
1/3 cup pumpkin (add pumpkin pie spices)
1 package plain yogurt
1/8 cup pure maple syrup
1-2 tsp ground flax
small handful raisins
small handful pecan pieces
small handful regular oats

In a medium bowl, sprinkle cinnamon over apple slices. In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, pumpkin mixture, syrup and flax. Stir in raisins, pecans and oats. Pour yogurt mixture over apples and fold together. Chill before serving. 

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

Cinnamon sugar cookie-cakes

I wrote this recipe with the intention of making cookies. I pulled out a couple of my favorite cookie recipes for guidance and wrote a draft . . . and then I decided to add milk and apple sauce. I'm pretty sure these tipped the ratio in favor of liquid, making the batter something between that of cookies and cakes. I realized I would have a hard time shaping the dough for cookies, so I greased a cookie sheet and poured the batter in to make one big cookie-cake. The resulting dessert bars were delicious, despite being not-quite-cookie, not-quite-cake.

Cinnamon sugar cookie-cakes

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup (one small package) unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup milk or soymilk
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
Sanding sugar for sprinkling over top

In a bowl dissolve sugars in melted butter, let cool and add to eggs (if the butter is too warm it will start to cook the eggs when you mix them). Mix in apple sauce and milk. Mix together dry ingredients and fold into batter. Spread over bottom of shallow, well-greased baking dish or cookie sheet with edges. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and sprinkle with sanding sugar before cutting into small bars.

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

A friendly New York deli, in Charlottesville

The University of Virginia's campus was quiet on the Saturday morning of my visit to Charlottesville. The same couldn't be said of Bodo's Bagels across the street, where students eating breakfast were taking up every chair inside and were spilling out into the sunny yet chilly outdoor seating. I was looking for a breakfast place where I could sip hot tea and read a book for an hour after touring Thomas Jefferson's impressive contribution to higher education. The bagel place seemed more an extension of the campus commons than a cozy coffee shop. 

I walked back down the hill a block until I saw a place with a window sign advertising freshly baked muffins. Sold. Littlejohn's New York Delicatessen was just the place to settle into a dark wood chair and watch the people walking up and down University Avenue. 

A woman behind the narrow counter was humming along to the oldies-but-goodies that were playing and that matched well the neon sign and black-and-white checked floor. Next to her, a man who was taking orders with a warm smile whipped up an egg sandwich for me. 

All along the top of the counter were fresh muffins, which I could see were still coming out of the oven. If I were having lunch, my choice would not have been easy: the deli has an impressive, and inexpensive, sandwich menu. 

Altogether, my egg sandwich, blueberry muffin and hot tea cost less than $5, and they were delicious (much more so than they look in the above cellphone photo).

The University, right across the street, has a beautiful campus, even with patches of snow still covering the ground. Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda, which is part of the campus, is worth even a quick visit:

(Photos by H. Farrell)

A cake to match the celebration

While I love dessert, I don't particularly enjoy plain old cake. But birthdays require cake of some sort, not to mention it's quick and easy to make one from a box mix. Next time you need to make a cake in a hurry, but still want something a little more than the usual, try adding some different flavors to the cake or icing. 

For example, I used a regular vanilla cake mix, added coconut flakes to the batter and substituted apple sauce for some of the oil. I baked the cake in two different pans to make a two-tier cake, with cool whip and frozen raspberries (thawed and drained) in the center. I also used cool whip for the icing, but that the consistancy wasn't the best. Next time I'll use real whipped cream and add some powdered sugar and vanilla for the icing. 

Experiment with chocolate shavings, chocolate syrup, fresh fruit, jam/preserves, chopped nuts, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) and extracts (almond, peppermint) to easily turn an ordinary cake into something ready for a celebration!