Sweet Treats

On his last day with us this month, Pie and I baked together. He was so excited to make a cake from scratch that he asked me to write the recipe down for him to take to his grandma's & try to make there. He is a great kitchen helper, measuring everything with scrupulous care and making sure he has clean hands at all times. We had fun licking the batter from the bowl and utensils, too! The recipe came from the February 2003 issue of Gourmet.

Everyday Cocoa Cake

2 c. flour
3/4 c. cocoa (we used Ghirardelli)
1 & 1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 & 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 & 3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 & 1/3 c. water
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9" round cake pan. Dust with flour. Whisk all the dry ingredients (except powdered suagr) together. Beat butter with sugar until pale & fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Add flour & water alternately, beginning and ending with flour, mixing just until combined. Bake 55 minutes-1 hour. Allow to cool 1 hour. Remove from pan and dust with powdered sugar. Perfect with a cold, cold glass of milk.

A week later, I made J a long-promised batch of granola, original recipe from the same issue of Gourmet, but modified to her tastes. The original called for crystallized ginger & apricots.

Maple Red Fruit Granola

1/4 c. flaxseeds, ground
6 c. old-fashioned oats
2 c. sliced almonds
1 c. raw green pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. oil
3/4 c. maple syrup
1 c. dried Rainier cherries
1 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all but fruit together. Spread evenly on two baking sheets (I didn't grease mine, but think I maybe should have). Bake 15 minutes. Stir granola & switch pans' positions in oven. Bake another 15 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool completely. Add fruit. Makes about 10 cups. We shared ours with the downstairs neighbors, which was a fun delivery!

Back in June, I made a refreshing non-alcoholic drink called a Lemon Daisy. Here's how:

1/2 c. grenadine
1/3 c. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 c. club soda
2 c. Sprite Zero (the original called for lemon soda)

Mix grenadine & lemon juice. Pour into ice-filled wine glasses. Top each with 1/2 c. club soda and 1/2 c. Sprite. Cheers!