Kitchen Adventures: Cake Pops

I wanted to make something different for my niece and had saw cake pops online and had sampled some a few months ago, and I thought what cuter dessert for a little girl than cake on a stick!
Although I enjoy baking cakes from scratch and making my own icing I decided for my first time out to just used a boxed cake mix and icing to make the  process a little simpler, plus I had read and heard all the disaster stories associated with these mini desserts and I didn’t want to invest a lot in high end ingredients if there was a chance it was going to end up in the mis-adventure pile.  So although Bakerella’s recipe is fantastic – for this trip to the kitchen I went with an adaptation of this Duncan Hines recipe.
Researching on Google gave me the tips that when I crumbled the cooked cake that the crumb should be even.  That less is more when it comes to icing, and that freezing is not the best way. 
I made the cake per the box directions.  Once completely cooked I put it through the food processor to produce an even crumb.

Cake after being put through the food processor

I added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vanilla icing and mixed it in the mixer until it was incorporated through the crumb.  I popped it in the fridge then for about 20 minutes so that I wouldn’t warm the dough up as much with my hands.
I rolled up about a dozen 1” balls and put them onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, covered them with saran wrap and popped them into the fridge.  I then used 1/2 the remaining cake/icing mixture to place a well drained maraschino cherry in the centre of the ball.  The last portion of cake/icing mixture I added some fresh orange zest and 1 drops of orange oil flavouring.  I left them all in the fridge covered over night.

Rolled and Chilled

I melted my white chocolate candy wafers over a double boiler set to low heat to avoid over heating the melts.  Taking the balls out in advance is important to give them a bit of time to warm and expand a bit and not crack your chocolate after the fact.

dip the lolly pop sticks in chocolate first
to glue the stick into the cake ball

I dipped the sticks in the white chocolate before pushing them about half way into the cake balls.  When dipping them once in – once out.  Let them drip without tapping them.   If you try and swirl them or move them in the chocolate the stick just comes loose and then you’ve just got balls in chocolate – which aren’t bad either, but that is another post!

Orange - Cashew Cake Pops and Cherry Snowball
Cake Pops

I rolled the freshly dipped orange cake balls in crushed cashews, and the cherry vanilla balls in sweetened coconut.


These ones need a bit longer to warm up because of the cherry and need to be dipped very quickly to avoid cracking.  Having your cherries well drained helps minimize the amount of moisture in the ball which can cause cracking or seeping through your chocolate shell.

I added some delphinium blue gel food colouring and
some raw sugar for a wintery feel

Drizzled with white chocolate and dusted with Wilton's Silver dust

On the other vanilla/vanilla combination balls I dipped them in the winter blue icing and then drizzled them with white chocolate.  After giving them a few minutes to harden I gave them a light dusting with Wilton’s silver icing dust to give the white chocolate a pearl hue.
Overall a success!  I’m looking forward to making some more Christmassy themed ones for dinner at my parents.  I know my niece will love them and I have a feeling everyone else will as well!
J.

Something Different You Say . . . .

It may not be an ocean view, but I think it's a lot better!

"I just want something different" he said.  I slowly raised my eyes from my computer to take a look at the client sitting across from me who so far had been talking about his winters vacation plans and how the beach in Puerto Plata was such a disappointment to him after he had been in Punta Cana the year before, and did I know that they only had 3 imported whiskeys, what did they think he was a cave man?  "How different?" I asked interrupting  him, waiting for his response before I gauged what kind of different he was actually looking for and chose my words carefully as to not cause him to bolt from my desk to the door because how could someone consider what I was describing a vacation and why would I be suggesting it to him. Different has a lot of meanings.

My suggestion of renting an illegal casa particular in rural Cuba for two weeks and fend for yourself probably wouldn't have gone over well.  He might have done just that run off to book on the internet because that crazy travel agent was talking insanity about fending for yourself, tractors, and slaughtering pigs in your neighbors yard, sugar cane fields, old Russian buses, and did I mention tractors???? I however faced the challenge this past summer head on and had an amazing experience that no resort/beach/tourist trap town could replicate.

View from my casa in Artemisa

Artemisa, Cuba.  That is where I chose to call home for two weeks this past summer.  If you are looking at a map of Cuba.  Find Havana, then look a little to the left, slowly . . . slowly . . . if you see Pinar del Rio you've gone too far.  That's it back away from the ocean . . . yep see it there? Tiny little place.  How did I find it? I had the fortune to visit for 2 days this past March and just knew it was the perfect place to spend some time off the grid. I wasn't completely on my own, I had a few friends in town.  A security guard I knew from previous trips to Havana, a very charming Professor and his wife, a musician and - no I am not describing the cast from Gilligan's Island - and my friend Yenier and his sisters. 

(above)
Playing dominoes with new friends.
(below)
This Lizard  loved to use my
clean floor as his bathroom -

 I rented a casa particular in Artemisa, it was lacking the little green and white sticker that made it a residence rental approved by the government of Cuba.  I wasn't overly concerned.  It was $25/night and had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a pool, living room, kitchen . . . all the standard stuff.  I had a market within walking distance and a few paladars (private restaurants) to choose from.  I was on vacation after all.  I had stayed in this same casa this past March but what I hadn't factored on was March is essentially winter there as well, so everything including a lot of the animals and such were not as active, the weather was fairly cool and calm.  When I arrived in July I had lizards, tropical storms and flooding.   I didn't mind the lizards in the beginning.  Until I swept up one morning and when I turned around I saw a little something on the floor.  Lizard poo. Yes they shit the floor.  You aren't allowed to kill them - at one point I had a cat run in though through the grating and chase one.  I was rooting for the cat as they went out the back door.  Also when these torrential rain storms would happen the water would start coming in through all the open areas, a mop would have been handy, but as it was there were a shortage of mops and they were selling them for 3 times the price illegally in the street and my friends would not support highway mop robbery so we had a squeegee and a towel that had more holes than a Cuban highway and a stick.  I was lucky every time it stormed I had friends with me because it made the clean up quite simple.  I even managed to video it one day, or I should say I managed to be videoed squeegeeing water across the floor yelling "she shoots she scores". 

Fresh pineapple bought from the back of a tractor

Shortages are normal in Cuba, which I experienced quite regularly because whatever I seemed to want any particular day was the specific item the market was sold out of.  Not produce there was an over abundance of veggies and fruit, but what would be short would be the seasonings, the soda, the things we take for granted here.  One day a wall of soda - next day - no soda.  I learned quickly to buy in bulk when I found certain things so that I would have an excess.  Of course this drew stares from Cubans when I bought 15lbs of coffee and 12 2 litre bottles of Tu Kola (the equivalent of Coca Cola) in one stop. Okay, Okay the coffee was for my parents but I still got stares and comments whispered behind me in Spanish that I was rolling deep. It didn't matter I was making sure I wasn't going to run out of anything.  The food in this area is really good.  It is the farm land so everything is fresh and all you need to do if you want something is wait to hear the call of the local vendors wandering the streets yelling "AJO, AGUACATE, CEBOLLAAAAAAAA" or you can buy fresh pineapple off the back of a tractor pulling out of the field it had just finished harvesting.  Mangos as big as your head and guava on every corner.  There was no shortage of fresh food.

Spaghetti with Station Salad

I didn't really cook a lot though, and the local paladars took care of my minimal food requirements.  I should warn you though -When dining in rural Cuba please keep the following in mind when ordering salad as the descriptions do differ a bit from North America:

Ensalada Estacion (Station Salad) = Sliced Cucumbers on a plate

Ensalada Mixta (Mixed Salad) = Sliced Cucumber accompanied by Diced Avocado

Ensalada Chef (Chef's Salad)= Sliced Cucumber, Diced Avocado, and canned green beans

dinner with friends at the local paladar

I shouldn't complain.  They were tasty, and the veggies were fresh.  I was just not expecting something quite that basic.  The paladars are priced quite well, with a Pollo Campasino which consisted of 1/2 a fried chicken, rice and peas and a salad selling for 2.50CUC and if you felt like splurging Surf & Turf (pork not beef) sold for 4.95CUC.  I took guests with me for dinner each night.  It was a good experience for them because even at those prices Cuban people don't eat out too often, and it gave me company while I dined.

Las Terrazas

I did a bit of wandering outside of the town itself.  A trip to Las Terrazas was a chance to explore the beautiful park, and the Guajiro Natural Polo Montañez's museum.  Las Terrazas is a national park, and has zip lining, small boats to rent and water sports in the lake.  I personally didn't take part in any of the water sports as I suspect alligators may live in that lake, although the Cubans assured me they didn't and I do love a little adventure I prefer adventure with all my appendages.

Riding in a '59 Chevy with 6 other locals

I also made a short trip into Havana (via local transportation - coche particular) this entailed going into downtown Artemisa at 7am and waiting with all the workers to get into a local car (picture 50's chevy's etc.).  You don't get a car to yourself you pile into a car with a bunch of strangers and off you go.  Of course I was a bit of a spectacle being as white as a polar bear and riding with Cubans, but I loved it.  There as a boy in the car with me on his way to Havana for surgery.  He watched me with what I could tell were tired eyes.  I gave his mom a couple of the candies I had in my purse for when he felt better.  I think he was surprised when the polar bear started speaking in Spanish to him and I learned he had a breathing condition that was supposed to be corrected with today's surgery.  I hope he is feeling better now.

I did enjoy just wandering around Artemisa though.  One day I heard the neighbour slaughtering a pig, yes the photo is said pig in my freezer. You can pretty much just walk up and talk to who ever you want to, they were nice people and I was happy to volunteer the freezer. I visited with Alex Cuba's parents.  Alex is a Cuban musician who is currently living here in Canada.  One of my companions bought a purple flower basket from Alex's mom as a gift for me (See the photo below).  I did get a few odd stares from time to time.  Tourists aren't the norm in Artemisa, so I found people were generally very curious about me and why I was there.  They also liked to watch me film the tropical storms and I did hear there were comments of "Why is she standing out in the rain, don't they have storms in Canada?"

 
 I did have the car I was in searched by the police one morning.  Where they searching for hidden Cubans? No.  Drugs? No.  They were searching for beef.  In Cuba the bearded bastard (aka Castro) controls the slaughter of the cattle.  So, if you are farmer Juan, and you raise the cow, nurse it through sickness, raise it, you can't ever slaughter it.  The government decides when it will be killed. If you kill it, 12 years in jail.  If you are caught transporting it, 8 years in jail and if you are caught eating it 1 year in jail.  Of course in the trunk of my car all they found was my suitcase.   Lucky for me they didn't see me a few days' before while I was eating illegal beef in a paladar. 

Overall the trip was a great one.  I met some very interesting characters and found myself in some unusal situations, but if I hadn't then the trip wouldn't have been a success to me.   Of course I will share these stories in time but I think some of the Characters I met on my travels need
their own platform, their own story, lumping them all in here would be a disservice to them.  They need to stand on the stage alone and have their stories told.

So different you say . . . the fellow booked Jamaica.  Could he find adventure there?  Sure.  Will he . .. unless he gets lost and finds himself out of that highly sanitized tourist area probably not.

Always take the road less traveled.  I promise when the journey is over you'll be satisfied.

J.

a local hand craft by Mrs. Cuba (Alex Cuba's Mom)

Goats tied in your yard, normal sight/occurence.

Mango and Guavas

a view from Las Terrazas

All Kinds of Crafty

I posted a link in the Facebook yesterday so anyone who was interested could stop by for a visit on my now resuscitated blog and my cousin in law shared a link to her blog.  She is all kinds of crafty, so if you are interested Robins Remarkables is a fun place to visit as well.

Dominoes in Cuba

It did get me thinking about my latest craft project, which was a domino table.  Why would someone need a special table to throw bones you ask?  A lo Cubano.  (Translation: It's a Cuban thing)  After all the trips I have made, and the numerous games of dominoes I have played I noticed that every house has a domino table.   I've spent many hours around them, sipping rum, enjoying tobacco and throwing bones.  Of course in Cuba most are fairly simple and plain, but I have saw a few ornate ones.    I did a bit of googling when I returned home and decided on a design and put it into action!

Finishd table top

It essentially is a removable top that can be set down over any card or accent table.  I have decorated it with 28 vintage Cuban postcards that I printed off on a high quality paper stock.  The cards are protected with a sheet of plexiglass which also makes for a very smooth surface for playing.  For domino holders I sanded down four pieces of dowel, stained them dark brown and adhered 4 Guantanamera cigar bands - yes from real cigars! Currently there are 4 un banded Cuban cigars in my home . . .  I might give them to Americans since they are now essentially unmarked contraband.

 
After sanding and staining the finished piece is something I am proud of and it looks beautiful in the rec room!

My Domino Table 

Who wants to play dominoes?

J.

Kitchen Adventures: Blackened Basa Tacos with Pineapple Mango Salsa

I ventured down to Vaughan a couple of weeks ago to have a meal with a new friend.  Of course neither of us knew exactly where we were going, or where the better restaurants were, so we ended up at a roadhouse style chain named Turtle Jacks.

I decided on their blackened basa tacos with mango pineapple salsa.  They came served with fries (not overly Mexican).  I am very picky when it comes to Mexican food but I have to say I was happy with my choice.  It had good flavor and I really liked how the mango and pineapple played with the fish.    Of course mango pineapple salsa isn't a new idea, but it is a new to me idea because previously I resisted the idea of mixing savory with the sweet of fruit.

Upon my return home I decided to try and replicate what I had that night, except for the fries. I headed to the internet to research different salsa recipes, and blackening spices.  I made a few changes to the recipes, and headed to the kitchen.

The End Result: Blackened Basa Tacos with Pineapple Mango Salsa

N.B.  I apologize for the poor quality of the photograph, but it was on the Blackberry, and I was hungry.

Blackening Rub:

2 tsp ground paprika
4 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp ground cumin

We rubbed the basa fillets with the blackening seasoning and pan fried them off (rather than grilling it was cold out) in a skillet with a bit of butter in it.

Mango Pineapple Salsa:

1 cup diced pineapple
3/4 cup diced mango
1/2 cup diced tomato (seeded)
1/3 cup diced cucumber
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 -2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
lime zest
Chopped Cilantro - I never measure cilantro - but if I was guessing 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp of it
1 tsp olive oil (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and adjust taste to personal preferences.  After mixing put in the fridge 1-2 hours before serving so the flavors start to blend.


I served the fish and salsa on flour tortillas I had warmed up with a side of cilantro rice.

I think it would be better in the summer with grilled fish rather than fried, but overall it was a good kitchen adventure! - unlike my Blueberry crisp I tried to make last night . . .  but that's another story.

J.

Making Time for things that are important

Making time for things that are important.  Easy to type, did it in less than 10 seconds.  Easy to implement? Not so much.   I keep a daytimer, and I have an agenda in my Blackberry.  I have my days well organized and planned.  What is missing is the little things.  The important things.

I felt a little ashamed when I logged into my little blog.  The last post was last year.  I was getting ready to submit a story to Leap Local.  I came runner up in that contest.  Yeah for me!  Here though, my little writing spot has sat empty and untouched.   (You can read my award winning story Captive in Cuba here)

Which brings me back to my topic.  Making time for things that are important.  Family, friends, and my passions; Travel, Reading/Writing and Cooking.    I must learn to make time for them.  They are what is important, not a ticketing deadline for Hong Kong or clearing last months receivables.  Although those things are important they are not what makes me happy.

How do you change the pattern though?  Find all the lost and wasted time.   I'm not sure.  I am going to consciously try and break my habits though.  Set the time when I am to be undisturbed because I am exploring my passions.  I may have to turn off my cell phone and disconnect my laptop from the internet but I am going to do it.

Starting . . . when?  Now seems like a good a time as any!

J.

Back to Havana . . .

I am getting ready to head back to Havana!  It will be a birthday celebration for me while I am visiting and hopefully I will get some time to spend in La Lisa as well as visit Artemisa and see what that area of Cuba has to offer.

L-R:  Michel Castillo Marin and Jorge Luis Espinosa

I am travelling with my friend Wayne and we love to wander around Cuba.  We will be meeting up with some new friends, as well as visiting some old ones.  I know Michel who is a very special friend of mine has a few plans for the day, but they will have to remain a surprise for me until I get there!

Normally I stay in casa's while I am in Cuba but at Michel's urging we are staying at Hotel Acuario, which I have stayed at before and love the staff.
I have to admit though that I am far more excited about seeing Michel's family this time.  We have become exceptionally close over the last 2 years and I hate being away from them.

Either way it should be a great trip.  Nino (Jorge) is in Italy now so the druken brawls should be kept to a minimum LOL! and hopefully the time for writing is plentiful!

Happy birthday to me and Happy travels!

Slowing Down to Enjoy the Summer

The weekend passed quickly as they always seem to do.  The temperatures have been up, and summer seems to be in full swing with a onslaught of tourists pouring into my area every weekend making use of the beaches, the lake and the roads.  Yesterday I was enjoying a relaxing day at home when we received a call that some good friends of ours would be passing through the area on their way home from Muskoka.

We were not prepared for company and had already started smoking a rack of ribs, but as always, the door is always open and the light always on.  I had wanted to get a bit of writing done, and possibly work on a painting I had been blocking out, but to turn down friends on the road is bad form.  I'm glad I didn't listen to my inner organizer screaming about my uncompleted task list.  I love seeing Julie & Aaron.  Although our lives have been running on opposite roads as of late, there is something to be said for someone who can walk back in and literally it feels as if no time has passed.  This describes how I feel when I am spending time with Julie.  Within 5 minutes of their arrival laughter was the music in the air and it carried on until fairly late in the evening.  No we were not prepared to put on a meal like I normally like to do for company, but we all made due with what we had and a great meal was shared and even Aaron who has a strong dislike for pork tried Jason's smoky ribs. Which all of us decided were the best ribs in Simcoe County and he could have easily won the RibFest taking place in Barrie  at the same time.  Of course my list sat undone, and I'm okay with that, it can wait for awhile.  The time with good  friends, sharing a delicious meal, laughing so hard that my sides hurt.  That is what summer is about.  The rest can wait.

Slow down, enjoy a laugh, enjoy some good food.  Some of the keys for a good life I believe.

J.