Eggless Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Last night, my husband was musing that he was craving some chocolate cake. I love him dearly, and our anniversary was this week, so I happily made my man a cake. :)

The only problem was, that our son had eaten the last two eggs for breakfast that morning, and grocery stores are actually closed here on Sunday afternoon. So, I looked up some "eggless" chocolate cake recipes, and came across one I liked, didn't QUITE wait until it fully cooled, put on some delicious chocolate buttercream frosting - and it was divine! It was very spur of the moment, so my pictures aren't great - but trust me! This is going to become a go-to in our house!

You'll need:

- standing mixer

- 8x8 inch pan

- baking paper

- non-stick spray

Ingredients:

Cake:

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I actually used some semi-sweet hot chocolate mix, and it was awesome)

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 tsp white vinegar

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

- 1 cup water

Frosting:

- 3/4 cup room temperature butter

- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

- 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar

- 3 tbs sweet and condensed milk

- about 4 tbs semi-sweet hot chocolate mix

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F / 175 C. Line 8x8 cake pan with baking paper, and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda) in the bowl of your standing mixer.

3. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla, vinegar, oil and water.

4. Turn mixer on medium speed, and pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Mix until all the lumps are completely done.

5. Pour batter into pan, and bake for 30-35 minutes (24 minutes for convection oven.)

6. Bake until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Allow to fully cool.

7. For frosting, cream together butter, salt and vanilla extract, then gradually add powdered sugar. Add sweet and condensed milk and chocolate powder. Whip until fluffy.

8. Allow cake to fully cool (or don't, haha!) and frost the cake.

This cake stayed super moist, and delicious! It's definitely going to be a go-to! 

Yummm!

Mixed Summer Fruit Galette

There are some tings that get me in the mood to bake... like gorgeous fruit sitting in a basket on a counter. I wanted something quick and delicious, since my brother was visiting - and remembered my Saturn Peach Galette that I made in the Fall, and decided to use it as a launching point.

Ingredients:

1 puff pastry (that you've thawed, and had out of the fridge for 10 minutes-ish)

3 cups (approx.) pitted fruit, sliced thinly (I used nectarines, apricots and Saturn peaches.)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon (depending on how cinnamon-y you like it)

1/2 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg beaten

Coarse sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F, or 190 C - or whatever your puff pastry calls for.  (Adjust for convection oven if needed.) Line a baking sheet with baking powder.

2. Wash and slice your fruit into thin slices.

3. In a large bowl, combine them with sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and vanilla.

4. Roll out your puff pastry onto your baking sheet.

5. Pour the fruit mixture onto the middle of the puff pastry, leaving about an inch around the edge.

6. Roll the edge up over the mixture.

7. Brush the edges with the beaten egg, and sprinkle the coarse sugar on top.

8. Bake in the oven to the specifications on the puff pastry.

9. Take out of oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes, and enjoy warm.

Spring/Summer Capsule Wardrobe For Boys

Ahhh... Kids. If only they didn't grow so fast! To help not spend exorbitant amount of money on kids’ clothes, to try and declutter, and lessen our consumption of fast fashion, I have been leaning more and more towards the concept of capsule wardrobes. In The Fall, I shared my Back To School Capsule Wardrobe, so now I wanted to share my Spring/Summer one.

Basic Pieces:

- 5 T-shirts (stripes are great, one overall pattern is okay. We also have a couple superhero shirts... thanks grandma, lol.)

- 2 tank tops

- 1 polo

- 1 short-sleeved dress shirt

- 1 long-sleeved shirt

- 1 long-sleeved dress shirt

- 1 pair of pants (whatever still fits from Fall)

- 3-4 pairs of shorts

- Swim trunks (We have an extra pair for "water day" at school.)

Here are some combinations:

Not pictured:

- 3 soft cotton shorts

- 1 pair of Crocs (they can be used as sandals and water shoes)

- 1 pair of rain boots

- 1 pair of tennis shoes

- 1 raincoat (or some other kind of transitional jacket. We got a raincoat, because we walk to school pretty regularly, but if you drive mostly, a leather jacket is also fun.)

- 3-4 pairs of pajamas

- underwear and socks
- sunglasses
- baseball hat

Here is the raincoat.

Tips:

- If your kid likes to slide on his knees like mine, and his sweatpants have holes in them, cut the legs off right above the knee - ta-da!! Easy shorts! I also did this for his pajama pants, and paired them with a complimenting colored plain T-shirt he already had.

- For both of my kids, I have a drawer in their closet that is their "transition" drawer. One half has clothes for them to grow into (things I've bought ahead of time when they were on sale) which I have labelled according to size. The other half are clothes that are from the previous season. So, when Spring/Summer is about to begin, I get out Aidan's clothes from last Spring/Summer to see what still fits him. Whatever doesn't fit gets donated, and of course we keep what fits. This way I'm only buying new things he needs. This year for example, I managed to only buy one pair of new shorts and a couple shirts.

- My son loves superheroes, so of course we have some "outlying" graphic tees. I try really hard to not get too hung up on them, and those are what he wears to school or camp, especially on "fun" days.

Places We Like To Shop:
- H&M - Mainly, we get basics here, such as underwear, pajamas, soft cotton shorts and shirts. They have a "Conscious" line, which we try to buy when we can. The quality can be lacking, but if you stain-stick, and don't tumble dry the T-shirts, you can get quite a lot of wear. Also, you won't feel so bad about cutting them.

- Petit Bateau - This store can be a little pricey, but they have very good sales. We usually shop here when their clothes are on sale, and even buy ahead for the next season. They have an overall nautical theme, which really fits our style.

- Zara Kids - I love their aesthetic and style. Again, they have a "Join Life" line, which is more eco friendly, sustainable and fair-trade. We try our best to buy those things.

- Okaidi - Aidan is tall and slim, and it can be hard to find him pants that fit well.  I really like this brand's pants, especially since they all have an inner adjustable band. Score!

Have you given capsule wardrobes a try? It can be difficult with kids. Have you found any tips or tricks that work for your family? Join the conversation!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Mmmm... I think we have a new addition to the Christmas cookie repertoire! Dan special requested these, and since they're one of my favorites too - I was happy to oblige!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)

- 1 cup brown sugar 

- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tbs corn starch

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or, in my case, a chopped up bar of white chocolate into "morsels")

- 1 1/2 cup macadamia nuts - some chopped, some left whole

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F/165 C.

2. Cream together (manually, or in a standing mixer) butter and sugars very well.

3. Add vanilla, eggs and salt, and mix well.

4. Add corn starch, baking soda, baking powder and flour. Mix until well combined.

5. Stir in nuts and chocolate.

6. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

7. Drop 2 tbs of dough (I used an ice cream scoop to get them all the same size) at a time, approx. 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

8. Bake for 10-11 minutes.

9. Allow to cool in pan for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Store in an airtight container, or you can even freeze them!

Makes about 44-48.

These are delicious! I've shared them with neighbors and friends, and I can tell you - they're a hit! 

Please let me know if you decide to try these, I'd love to know how they turn out.

Here are some mouth watering pictures of these sweet things:

While I was taking pictures, I accidentally left some cookies within baby's reach - and when I turned around, she gave me the most satisfied look! Of course... I didn't let her eat it, but she loved sucking on it for a couple seconds, lol!

Parmesan Sea Salt Herb Shortbread Crackers

Yesterday, we set up our annual try-to-keep-it-alive herb garden and I wanted to make something that celebrated all their delicious-ness!

At the same time, it just so happened that on my pinterest board this recipe popped up! It was a terrific guide as far as measurements go, and the idea, but I only had half of the parmesan, so I halved it, and added some sea salt to them before I baked them. I'm glad I did, as it was a nice nod to Slovene salt, and added a little more flavor. They're darling, I love how they look! Not to mention that they're light and tasty!

What you'll need:

- food processor

- baking paper

- rolling pin

- small (2 inch diameter) round cookie cutter

- silicone mat

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs flour 

- 1/4 cup room temperature (very soft, I left min out overnight) butter

- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

- 1 tbs finely minced fresh rosemary and/or thyme (I did both)

- 1/4 tsp sea salt 

- couple pinches of cracked pepper

- fresh herbs for garnishing

- sea salt flower or regular sea salt for garnishing

- 1/4 tsp water on hand, if you need to make the dough a little wetter. I should've trusted my gut and put it in, I think it would've made it a little easier.

Directions:

1. In the bowl of the food processor, pour flour, butter, parmesan, minced herbs, salt, and pepper. 

2. Pulse the food processor 30 times, until crumbly in texture, and just starting to come together. Here is where you would add the water, if needed.

3. Pour out onto silicone mat, and kneed together into a patty. I found it to be very crumbly, and this step was a little difficult - getting it all to stay together.

4. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

6. Roll out dough between two sheets of baking paper until it is 1/4-1/8 inch thick. At this point, place the fresh herbs on the dough. Put the baking paper back over the dough and roll over it with the rolling pin, thus "laminating" it into the dough. 

7. Cut out the crackers with the cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet. 

8. Re-shape leftover dough, and roll out again, repeating the steps regarding the herbs.

9. Once they were on the baking sheet, I sprinkled sea salt flower (finishing salt) on them, and gently went over them with the rolling pin so that the salt would bake into the cracker.

10. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Allow to fully cool on baking sheet, and serve! 

Makes about 2 dozen.

Perfection!

Please let me know if you give these a try! You won't regret it!