I had a few blueberries leftover from the pancakes, and since I got up at 2:00 a.m. this morning (uggggggh — book proofing by day, and then "proofing" in "dreams" at night, decided to just forget it and get out of bed at 4-ish and . . . bake a cake at 7 . . . I know . . . and here it is) thought I'd try the Berry and Buttermilk Cake from Apples for Jam. Last night I was just lying up in bed going through the whole thing page by page for about the fourth time picking out about fourteen things I want to try, stat.
In case I haven't mentioned in the past five minutes how much I love this book, allow me to say so again. Love. It. As I was searching around for a link to it for you this morning, I found that Amanda made this same cake last fall with some variations — I wish I'd seen her recipe before I made mine because she added maple syrup and that is a great idea. Like blueberry pancake-cake. Wouldn't it be cool to do like a Julie & Julia thing with Apples for Jam? Just go through it color by color, dish by dish. Wish I had time for that. I don't think I do. Though I have made four or five of the things already — all awesome. Seriously good. The Spaghetti with Ground Beef was amazing. Cinnamon, paprika, and mint in the sauce. I find it difficult to blog about dinner in the winter. It's too dark to take a picture of anything. If you want to know what time the sun rises/sets go here. I will say "not early enough/too early" respectively, though apparently we did gain 2 minutes and 11 seconds over yesterday. . . . Sigh.
By the way, speaking of berries, I found the comments about the Swedish pancakes from the actual Swedish people very interesting! No lingonberries with pancakes, they say! Well, that makes sense to me, of course, because I don't actually like lingonberries, but I have never once ordered these pancakes at a restaurant and had them served without lingonberries or lingonberry jam, even at Al Johnson's or Ann Sather's. So I can only conclude that maybe this is an American version of a Swedish thing? Kind of like how my Italian family looks at spaghetti and meatballs smothered in red sauce and says, "That's not Italian." Like that? Just curious.
'Kay. Naptime.
I wish.
I'd take this out five minutes earlier next time. The toothpick was a bit too clean for me.
Mmmm, can you bring some of that over, it looks amazing, and perfect for the strawberry black tea with cream and sugar I'm drinking :)
yahoo- I just wrote about that cake a moment ago- I adore that book too!
http://doobleh-vay.blogspot.com/2008/01/i-really-like-cookbook-apples-for-jam.html
I'm sooooo hungry! Can I stop by for tea and cake?
Wow, cake by 7. That's pretty darn impressive. Good luck with the book proofing, sending good thoughts your way.
Liz
Hi
I love your blog. My daughters love to sneak peaks at your studio photos. I think you would really like an english chef's book - Jamie Oliver - Jamie at Home. It is all about his garden and how he and his gardener (!) grow their own veg for his family. He writes in a lovely relaxed way and he is very down to earth - in previous books he for example he says serve his glorious fish pie with ketchup! Best wishes Emma
oh yummmmm! cake by 7??? yikes! i hadnt even made my coffee by 7! oh the guilt....
Sheesh, too bad about not sleeping long enough. Oh well, at least you were deliciously productive :)
Regarding length of daylight - you lucky devils in Portland are still getting approx. 40 minutes more daylight per day than us in the south of the UK. The cake looks delicious. All I ever do when I can't sleep is lie there fretting about not sleeping!
Blueberry love! What a great treat on this very cold day. I've been nibbling on little blue treats all weekend as well.
that looks like it would be fantastic with my cup of coffee! :)
Mmmmm. What time is tea (after your nap, of course, I wouldn't want to be rude after all)?
Tee hee.
there's nothing nicer than when blueberries burst and turn from firm and tart to something quite special. I'm craving an ice-cold glass of milk to go with that cake! a nice treat before my nap. yum!
As one who habitually gets up at 4 a.m. because I simply cannot sleep any longer, it's nice to know there's someone else up at that hour! I used to figure I might have been a dairy farmer in my last life, but now I think I was probably the cow. ;o) At least I have a job in which I can set my own hours, so I'm usually at my desk by 5:30. Being up early makes me feel I know something about the day that other people have missed, and that's way bettter than lying there in bed worrying about the sleep I'm not getting.
Mmm, I love Al Johnson's and you are right, Ligonberries are served every where I have been too!
I hate it when my brain does that. Don't you wish you could just say "Ahem. Excuse me. It's time to sleep." and then turn a switch off. I never had insomnia until I started working on my own business - the only down-side I've found so far. Fortunately it has settled down and I only get it once in awhile.
But kudos to you for baking such a lovely cake! I tend to choose the sit-on-the-couch-and-be-grumpy method until I tell myself that my husband has left for work so I should get up and do the same.
Wishing you restful sleep tonight!
Another beautiful day brightener...thank you, Alicia. You are such a kind and lovely friend. I read your posts each day and carry them with me. Thanks again! :)
Mmmm - absolutely everything you bake or make and take pictures of and blog about looks wonderful! This, of course, is no exception!
oh boy, i stopped at the news stand on my way home to pick up hallmark magazine with you in it. even though i know your story, it still was so emotional to read the article as it has more to say about your accident and how you recovered. i got all teary-eyed on the subway and had to stop reading until i got home - so embarassing. it's a wonderful, inspirational story, and you all look great, including clover with those glorious ears.
we saw the movie the “diving bell and the butterfly” this weekend and i think you would really enjoy it. a couple of the themes in the movie that are similar to yours are perseverance, and the wonderful things that can happen after one pushes through the self-pity stage, which may very well be the most difficult challenge of all.
best ... cindy
Being Swedish, I would say that lingonberry is the traditional with pancakes. When I was little, it was that or just sugar if you didn't like jam.
It might depend where you are from as well, but I at least where I grew up I think the mothers thought that lingonberry jam was less sweet and therefore more suitable for dinner. (You don't eat pancakes for breakfast.)
It doesn't make a difference what you put on them of course, but the lingonberry jam isn't an American version. :)
Mmmm...my mouth is watering! I noticed your link to "Sew Pretty Homestyle" and was wondering if you had made anything out of it (in your "free" time!) I bought it a few months ago and thought of your blog when I saw it in the store. I'm enjoying it so far. Best of luck with the proofing!
I just saw "My Blueberry Nights" this evening at the cinema with a friend. It's so funny that you have a blueberry theme going on at the same time! ;-)
Please stop with these temptations...I have to somehow squeeze into a bathing suit by mid February. (Something I will next time keep in mind before planning a tropical vacation in the middle of winter).
In all seriousness, my family was quite tickled by our swedish pancakes feast Saturday morning-- inspired, of course, by your lovely little post. They were in awe when I busted out the powdered sugar and fresh preserves instead of the usual store bought syrup.
Thank you for your delicious posts of late.
suzanne
Again, YUMMY! You are seriously making me hungry! For some reason my food never looks as good as yours!
I want to be you in my next life. I read this post about your wonderful baking just after I just posted about my most recent baking disaster ( http://bonnindesigns.blogspot.com )
i just bought "apples for jam" at anthropologie on clearance for $9! just so those of you who want a copy know.