Treats from the Tipsy Turtle

Ever since I started watching "The Great British Bake-Off", I have wanted to try a Victoria Sandwich. I'm not exactly sure why that is; it's such a simple cake and as I have stated repeatedly, unless a cake is particularly toothsome, I'm not usually into it. Maybe it's because this is such a classic. Dunno, but Luna's first birthday gave me a good excuse to try it. Here's today's cast. The recipe calls for self-rising flour. I didn't have any but I followed the recipe on King Arthur Flour's webpage to make my own. For every 120g. of flour, add 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt. I needed 225g. so I doubled the recipe. Then I measured out what I needed. In addition to the baking powder that was already in the flour, the recipe called for two more teaspoons. I cut the butter into small cubes so they would soften faster and more uniformly. The recipe uses an "all-in-one" method which means all ingredients are put into a bowl ...

I was so sad when Ryan's Grill in Ward Centre closed down. For many years it was a favorite gathering place for both my family and my friends. Similarly Kincaid's, formerly Horatio's, at the now demolished Ward Warehouse was, too. I always ordered the pea salad that both restaurants served and have been wanting to re-create it. Today's recipe is the closest I've come! Today's cast! Sour cream, mayo, salt, and pepper are combined for the dressing. In the meantime, I put the frozen peas into a colander to help them thaw and drain. After that, it's just a bunch of chopping. Interestingly, the recipe mentioned that Hormel bacon bits work much better than bacon that has been cooked up and drained. Who am I to argue? I added the bacon bits to the dressing along with chopped water chestnuts and red onions. I de-stringed the Chinese peas. Sugar snap peas can also be used. The peas and pea pods were combined with the dressing, then I popped it into the fridge. The re...

We had a soup/stew-heavy week but I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit and wanted to give it a try. It's an East African-Indian curry and I liked that it offered a substitute for the Kashmiri chile powder. Of course, the substitute was cayenne and though I was sure I had some, it turned out I didn't. Oh well. Here's today's cast! Three cloves of garlic were grated into a large bowl using a microplane. The juice of a lemon was added. I added salt and since I didn't have cayenne, I substituted for the substitute with togarashi and added some red chili pepper flakes, too. Not much since I wasn't sure what level of spice I wanted. It was deliciously pungent. I tossed the boneless thighs in the marinade, covered it with plastic wrap, then left it at room temperature for 30 minutes. In the meantime, coarsely chopped onions, a tomato, jalapeño pepper, and some cilantro were added to a blender. I blitzed it till it was smooth. Another wonderful aroma! Speaking of enticing s...

This easy and fast coffee cake got even easier with Mary Birtwhistle's lining paste! I have mentioned I am not a huge cake fan but I do like fruity ones. Yes, even the much-maligned Christmas one. Today's cast! The cake and pudding mixes were incorporated in a bowl.  The wet ingredients--sour cream, eggs, and vegetable oil, were combined in a separate bowl. The Dutch whisk did double duty today. In yet another bowl, sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans were combined. The wet ingredients were combined with the cake and pudding mixes--the resulting batter is very thick. Enter the lining paste! I used a silicone brush to get the paste into every nook and cranny and all the way up the sides of the bundt pan. As I did this, the lines from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" echoed. If you don't know the reference, do yourself a favor and watch that movie. Half the batter was placed in the bundt pan. Half the apples were added next. Then half of the cinnamon-sugar-pecan mix. The ...