Author: unbiddengrace

Ruddy and Small-Crumbed

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The story goes that it wasn’t always artificial red food dye that made a red velvet cake red.

The “velvet” portion of the name refers to the fact that this is a small-crumbed soft cake made with cocoa powder. A “velvet cake” is lighter and fluffier than, say, a pound cake. Velvet cakes rose in popularity in the Victorian era.

The original Red Velvet Cake was not artificially bright red, but merely had a reddish tint to the crumbs due to a chemical reaction caused by the combination of buttermilk, cocoa powder, and baking soda in the batter. That hint of rouge distinguished the red velvet cake from the deep brown color of a devil’s food cake (which is also a “velvet” cake, but has melted chocolate in the batter instead of buttermilk).

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Relaxing (with sharp shards of glass)

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In the Chinese tradition of Feng Shui, sharp objects can create an aggressive form of bad energy (chi). But personally, I find making stained glass really relaxing.

Recently I enjoyed using a stained glass kit I found on Etsy from this shop. (I’d recommend it for purchase, but it’s currently off the storefront.)

For the record, I do know how to cut my own pieces of glass — and I even have a grinder to polish them, but for this project I really wanted to guarantee I’d have it done before Christmas.

Using a kit with pre-cut glass pieces meant I could be certain I wouldn’t run out of time, stamina, or motivation. Plus, by buying the kit, I’m supporting an artist/entrepreneur… so it’s a no-lose situation!

The pieces as they arrived in my kit.
Tacked together.
Prior to patina application.
Done!

I realized after the fact that I had my soldering iron set too hot. Whoops. Because of this I had a bit more struggle with the bead than usual, but he still turned out just fine in the end.

If you’re local and want to learn stained glass, I highly recommend a class with Spectrums by Suzi.

I hope he enjoys his life with my cutie pie nephew! 🦕

Zuppa Toscana (to Get Ya Through)

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  • 1 pound Sausage (chicken or turkey are my preferred)
  • 1 package of Beef Bacon
  • 8 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 Yellow Onion, diced
  • 3 stalks Celery, chopped
  • 3 Carrots, diced
  • 5 tablespoons Salted Butter
  • 64 oz of Chicken Broth (2 packages)
  • 6 cups water
  • 1/2 bag of chopped Kale
  • 2 cans of Cannellini Beans, drained
  • One bag of Small Gold Potatoes, chopped into quarters (or 3 baking Russet Potatoes, diced)
  • 1 pint (small container) Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/4 cup Flour
  • 1 package Gnocchi
  • Salt, Pepper
  • Red pepper, Oregano, Thyme
  • Parmesan, grated

Heat the oven to 400 and bake the beef bacon on a pan for 10 minutes— it’s much less messy than doing it in a pan! Meanwhile, in your large stockpot, cook the sausage, then set aside. In the same pot, add 5 tablespoons of butter and then sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic. After vegetables are soft, add 1/4 cup flour and stir. Cook for about 1-2 mins on medium low. Add the sausage, cooked and chopped up bacon, diced potatoes, drained beans, kale, cups of water, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the gnocchi and cook 10 more minutes. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper, oregano and thyme to taste. 5 minutes before ready to serve, slowly add in the heavy cream. Top your bowl of soup with grated parmesan. Serve with toasted sourdough w/ butter.

This is peak comfort food for fall or winter.

Enjoy!