friday faves - kitchen edition

another friday, another faves.
here are some of the things that i'm longing for in my kitchen.
one day.. one day.

spatulas | cutting board | flatware | dishtowels | measuring spoons | copper cookware (drool)| bakeware | kitchenaid | pie pan | plate | plate | glass |

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

So, remember that phase I went through a couple weeks ago where I baked EVERY single day..? That was such a delicious week and it made me realize how much I LOVE baking. There is something about it that just totally centers me, calms me down, and just plain makes me happy (just going out on a limb here.. but I'm guessing it has to do with all the sugar Ive been putting in my body... maybe?) Not to mention the sheer joy that it creates with my husband. The expression on his face when he gets home in priceless (think kid going to disneyland. Yes he really gets that excited.) Anyways, lets get to the point.

I LOVE RHUBARB.
(just thought maybe I'd throw that out there)

Anything that has rhubarb in it is a winner in my books. I love the combo of tart and sweet. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to give it a go. In all honesty the way it turned out wasn't amazing. There are several things about the recipe that I would tweak - but I'll get to that later.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

3/4 pounds Rhubarb (trimmed and cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups Sugar

4 Tbsp Butter plus 6 Tbsp cubed (for cake)

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

1/2 tsp Salt

2 1/2 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 cup Shortening

1/3 cup Milk

2 Eggs

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.

^can we call just take a minute to admire how beautiful rhubarb is.. ? ^

^chop it into 1 1/2 inch pieces^

^combine rhubarb, 1 cup sugar (not all), 4 tbsp butter, lemon juice, vanilla paste, and 1/4 tsp salt in a cast iron skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until rhubarb is tender and the sugar is melted^

^whisk together your remaining sugar and salt, and add flour and baking powder. Add remaining butter and shortening and combine until you get pea sized pieces^

^add milk and eggs and stir together until combined (it will be sticky)^

^spoon the batter over top of your cooked rhubarb and cover evenly^

^bake until crust is golden (about 30 mins)^

^remove from oven and invert the cast iron skillet onto a plate^

^now eat itttttt!^

Overall - the flavour was great! It looks nastier than sin - but it was very flavourful. 

Okay! So here are the things I would tweak with this recipe. 

1. I would add more rhubarb. 

I found the cake to be very dry and dense. I feel that more of the rhubarb would have helped to make it more tender - and who the heck doesn't like ooey gooey delicious rhubarb?

2. I would slightly undercook the rhubarb. 

I cooked mine to the directions and found that it just turned to mush in the oven. I would have liked to have a little bit more texture from the rhubarb. (personal preference) Plus I think it would have made for a much lovelier presentation. Cause lets be honest the finished product looks like a hot mess. 

I also feel like this could easily be made in a non-cast iron skillet. 

Give it a try and see what you think!

friday faves - music edition

Well it's that time of week again. 

Heres a list of the songs I can't get enough of lately.

HEARTS & HANDS - DEMONS (COVER)

AMOS LEE - SWEET PEA

FOXES - ECHO

LABRINTH FEAT. EMELI SANDÉ - BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL

SLEEPING AT LAST - 500 MILES

JOHN MAYER - PAPER DOLL

BASTILLE - POMPEII

FRANK OCEAN - THINKING ABOUT YOU

BON IVER - WASH

MINDY GLEDHILL - HONEY

PETER CETERA - GLORY OF LOVE   (a total classic - love the video)

KEITH URBAN FEAT. MIRANDA LAMBERT - WE WERE US

MIDEAU - BENNY

MUSE - MADNESS

ST. LUCIA - ALL EYES ON YOU

FOXES - WARRIOR

THE XX - ANGELS

KEITH URBAN - SHAME 

MINER - HEY LOVE

MINDY GLEDHILL - LITTLE RED BIKE

MUMFORD AND SONS - THE CAVE

This list is about as random as it could get. Enjoy!

blessed

Its crazy how quickly you can get behind on blogging. 

The past week has been a good one. We've been busy doing all sorts of things, like having our niece stay with us for 4 days, going to the corn maze, having our house appraised, helping unpack my sisters place, getting a girls night with a great friend, baking (lots of baking!!), reading an amazing book (Daring Greatly - READ IT! You wont regret it) and even some one on one time with Ster. 

The past couple of days I have had a few moments of quiet reflection and I've felt SO overwhelmed with how beautiful and full my life is. I am so blessed. I have THE cutest kids. They aren't perfectly behaved, or even remotely calm - but thats what makes them so loveable. They are the craziest. EVER. And I am lucky enough to get to enjoy their shenanigans every day and be their mother. I have such a loving, kind, patient, goofy husband who just adores me and our kids, and I love him. 

We live a very happy life. 

I forget sometimes in the craziness of life how richly we are blessed. But, I am so grateful for those quiet nudges that I get to slow down, take it all in, and enjoy every single second of it. 

I am SO blessed.