For my next Eat Your Vegetables** project, I decided to try oven-roasting some cauliflower. I’ve only really enjoyed this vegetable in curry, especially that Indian favorite, Aloo Gobi. I suspect it’s because it absorbs much of the flavor of whatever it’s cooked in—and curry is one of my favorite things! Cauliflower is pretty much a bland vegetable. But recently, I’ve been reading a lot on how high oven heat caramelizes the sugars in this versatile vegetable and transforms it into a satisfying, nutty-flavored dish that’s a perfect side for the season’s grilled staples. I wanted to try roasting it to see what cauliflower really tasted like on its own. 

I also learned a new way of preparing the vegetable. I used to lop off the thick stem and then cut out the florets from whatever stem is left behind. But I found that quartering the cauliflower, then slicing the thick stem off at an angle allows me to break down the florets easier. Some of you may have already known to do this, but I just recently picked it up. Saves so much effort!

I had some leftover red new potatoes and decided to throw those in with the cauliflower for color. I then tossed good olive oil (you will need about 1-1 /2 tbsps olive oil for each pound of vegetables) into the happy mix with some pepper and salt. That’s all this dish really needs. Sometimes simple=epic!

Roast on a foil-lined sheet in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 30 minutes until tops change color. Some will be golden, others will have a bit of char (but don’t worry, they’re still delicious!)

Serve warm with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese (if you wish) on top. Do I hear a “yum?”

Oven-roasting is now my favorite way to prepare cauliflower. So quick and so good! It will be quite a ways before I decide to enjoy this in curry again!

—

**Eat Your Vegetables is a new project on The Girl With A Curl. As a promise to eat healthier, I plan to discover new, yummy, non-gag-inducing vegetable recipes every week. They’ll be a big part of my packed lunches at work and will be an interesting way to see how many different ways vegetables can be prepared. As a meat eater, vegetables are something I haven’t paid attention to in my years in the kitchen, but that’s something I’d like to change. From Artichoke to Zucchini and everything in between, here’s to healthy eating at its most delicious!

Tell you what.

Why don’t you….

cook a box of orzo…

in the meantime, dump a big bag of fresh baby spinach into a bowl…

drain the orzo when it’s done…

add it to the spinach and toss together so its heat wilts the leafy greens…

add some feta (the fat-free kind if you’re feeling guilty!)…

maybe a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and a few squeezes of lemon juice to taste…

stop yourself from standing over the pot and eating it secretly in the kitchen while your boyfriend watches Star Trek in the living room…

step back and hug yourself! You’ve just made a simply good, highly addicting pasta side that’s perfect, hot or cold, to go with any dish. A healthier alternative to plain rice, too!

Seriously though, I ate obscene amounts of this while making it because it’s sooo good! I hope you have better luck than me!

Who knew the highlight of my weekend would be a plain cardboard box?

That’s because it has all this gorgeous, fresh, organic produce in it!

This is our very first CSA box. What’s that, you ask? Well let me tell you, and please pardon the babbling enthusiasm!

“CSA” is an acronym for “Community-Supported Agriculture.” (I found out about it through Giselle, who had left a comment on one of my earlier vegetable posts.) Through the South Central Los Angeles Farmer’s Coop, $15/week buys me a small share of an organic farm out in Bakersfield. This means a box of locally sourced, in season, picked-fresh, all-organic vegetables!

I can do this as a weekly subscription and get a box of new vegetables every week, delivered to a location close to my home for me to pick up. I can choose to do this every other week instead, if I feel like I’m buried in vegetables. The terms are flexible (you can pay $20 or $25 as well, depending on what you can afford), the money goes directly to my farmer, and I have access to enough vegetables that can feed a family of four for a week or a couple for two weeks.

Part of the charm is that I don’t know what I’m going to get in the box exactly, but what I do know is that everything is picked at their peak. I’m discovering all these new vegetables I wouldn’t think of buying at my local market. The CSA is a great introduction to all these nutritious alternatives, and just in this week’s box, most were vegetables I’ve never cooked with before.

There are many other CSAs for Los Angeles. For more information on those and to find out what CSAs are available in your region elsewhere in the U.S., go HERE.

Lots of healthy cooking up ahead, which should be awesome for my “Eat Your Vegetables” project!

All the images in this post were taken with the iPhone 4 (save for the screenshots below). I wanted to see how well the new toy would take pictures, and what better way to play with it and putz around in the kitchen at the same time? Quite acceptably good/awesome for a camera on a phone, eh?

These ingredients were for some seriously yummy Butterscotch Brownies, also made with the iPhone! The recipe is from the Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything app. I’m really enjoying it. I like its minimalist presentation (no photos!), that it’s organized and comprehensive (at least for being a mobile app) and was one of the first iPhone 4-specific apps available to download.

The best thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are probably already in your pantry. Plus, it’s so simple to remember because you’ll only need ONE of everything!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1 stick butter

1 egg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

WHAT TO DO

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan or line it with aluminum foil and grease the foil.

2) Melt the butter over low heat. Transfer to a bowl and use an electric mixer or whisk to beat in the sugar until very smooth, then beat the egg and vanilla, stirring down the sides of the bowl every now and then.

3) Add the salt, then gently stir in the flour. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until just barely set in the middle, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack before cutting. Store, covered, at room temp for no more than a day.

Chewy but with crisp edges, and the unmistakable flavor of real butter in every bite. So uncomplicatedly delicious.

Pretty happy with the pics from the new phone, and doubly happy with the new cooking app. More adventures in food up ahead with both. There REALLY is an app for THAT!

Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything app sells for $4.99 in the Apple App Store.

One word: Pies.

A Fresh Strawberry Pie for friends. I didn’t retouch this photo. Those berries really ARE that crazy red!

Also, please behold my first shot at a Banana Cream Pie. With an Oreo Cookie Crust and homemade whipped cream on top. And since we’re on that roller coaster, how about some homemade caramel, too, from sugar+butter+heavy cream? (Yes, I realize my obsession with making things from scratch is borderline nuts sometimes, but what can you do? The yummy noises people make fuels my insanity, so it’s not entirely MY fault!)

And in the middle of all the cooking, eating, talking and friends-and-family-ing over the holiday weekend, I had this one quiet moment:

Over dessert, E.’s grandma remarked that maybe I should have the Sugar Cream Pie recipe that her family used to make. It was somewhere in his mom’s recipe box, and E. had to help me find it. As I was leafing through those handwritten index cards, recipe clippings and notes, it wasn’t lost to me that this was a Big Thing. At least it was to me. I don’t go through someone’s recipe collection without a good measure of reverent thankfulness (because I’m very attached to mine!). I was actually a bit nervous looking through that box–all that history in those meals! When a family recipe is given to me, it isn’t just a list of ingredients and directions scribbled on a piece of paper. It’s a story waiting to be cooked, and I’ve been trusted to do the telling. And in the coming days, I hope to tell that story well, in sugar and eggs and flour.

Hope your weekend was just as delicious!

There’s nothing like summer to inspire you to cook with vegetables. There are so many fresh, green whatnots in the market! Someone asked me about finding something to do with the abundance of zucchinis this season, and I practically elbowed old ladies and little children out of my way at Trader Joe’s when I saw these winking at me:

These Zucchini Pancakes are actually Turkish in origin. Before making these, I had never heard of mucver, but because I really wanted to work with zucchini, I looked for an interesting way to use them. This recipe is based on one from The New York Times’ “Temporary Vegetarian.” These are SO good! It has pockets of yummy feta in it, and with a soft egg mixture holding it all together, the dish is awesome both warm and even cold the next day.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

3 medium zucchini

salt and feshly ground black pepper

3 large eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Ahhh, Greece. I thank you for your Spanakopita, your Moussaka and your Souvlaki. But frankly, it’s your humble Fasolakia that’s got me head over beans! (You like that? Haha!)

I first tried this green bean dish at Sofi in Los Angeles, a restaurant that’s popular for their delicious Greek fare (and their really pretty outdoor patio, but I digess). The Fasolakia was a side to my Kreatopita (a puff-pastry triangle filled with spiced ground beef and pine nuts, topped with cheese). It was quiet and unassuming, eclipsed by the crispy, meaty, cheesy main dish on my plate. But by the end of the night, I had eaten all of it, and only half of the other dish!

And I wanted more. So, the next few days were spent trolling the Internet and asking Greek friends about it. I found out that it’s a staple at the Greek table, and that it’s a stew of fresh tomatoes, green beans and parsley, cooked until the beans are soft. Their slightly sweet flavor with the natural tartness of tomatoes and the fragrance of parsley makes for one yummy dish that’s great in the summer when the freshest green beans and tomatoes are abundant.

It’s also quite uncomplicated to make, too!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, rough-minced

3-6 whole peppercorns

1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, pulsed in a food processor (you can also chop these if you don’t have one)

1 1/2 pounds of green beans with ends cut off, rinsed

1 bunch parsley, rinsed

WHAT TO DO

1) Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Saute the onion until soft, then the garlic until fragrant, then finally drop in half of the parsley and black peppercorns. Keep cooking until the parsley is wilted.

2) Pour in your chopped tomatoes and stir. Cover and allow to simmer for a good 10-15 minutes, until the juices have sufficiently cooked together into one happy, yummy mix. The mixture will develop more liquid as it cooks, and will thicken later in the cooking. Adjust to taste with salt. It should have a good balance of tang from the tomatoes’ acidity, a herby note from the parsley and also a hint of natural sweetness from the tomatoes. (I’m getting hungry just writing this!)

3)  Set your trimmed green beans on top of the tomato stew. The liquid should come up to about halfway the amount of beans. If not, add a little stock or water. Top the beans with the rest of your parsley. You will cook the dish in these layers, trying not to disturb them by  stirring. (I’m not exactly sure why, but I followed this step in keeping with tradition.)

Cover and allow to cook on low to moderate heat for 45 minutes to an hour, or even a little longer, until the beans are good and soft but still retain their shape. Make sure to check the stew every 20 minutes or so in case you’ve cranked up the heat enough to burn the bottom of the pot.

You’ll end up with this savory hodgepodge of tomato and beans, all made from scratch from the freshest stuff. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

4) Serve your Fasolakia hot with steamed rice, or at room temperature with pita bread. As an extra treat, you can sprinkle to top with a bit of feta cheese.

Opa! Go be Greek this weekend!

—–

**Eat Your Vegetables is a new project on The Girl With A Curl. As a promise to eat healthier, I plan to discover new, yummy, non-gag-inducing vegetable recipes every week. They’ll be a big part of my packed lunches at work and will be an interesting way to see how many different ways vegetables can be prepared. As a meat eater, vegetables are something I haven’t paid attention to in my years in the kitchen, but that’s something I’d like to change. From Artichoke to Zucchini and everything in between, here’s to healthy eating at its most delicious!

Beautiful sugar peony on my friend Sara’s wedding cake

Pink statis from the farmer’s market in Goleta

Cupfulls of sweet summer cherries for a clafouti!

Purple baby artichokes for a healthy lunch this week

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

I’m finally better after being sick for two weeks, the first few days of which were devoted to making and eating arroz caldo, a rice porridge that my mom and grandmothers used to make for me as a kid. Its Spanish name translated means “rice soup.” One of the best things about arroz caldo is how ubiquitous it is in Filipino cuisine: It’s eaten for breakfast, as merienda (a mid-afternoon snack) or sometimes even as a late-night meal. It’s served in homes and on street corners, and has a million and one variations. Often served with slivers of tender, flaked chicken; I prefer mine with a plain hard-boiled egg. It’s sometimes topped with crisp, deep-fried golden garlic pieces or fresh rings of green onion. Any way it’s eaten, it’s ultimate comfort in a bowl.

When E. saw me make this, he said, “Wow, that looks…really Asian.” I had to laugh, because that thought never occurred to me—it was just simple arroz caldo, something I’ve cobbled together for years without even thinking about it. But to him, it’s a new, foreign thing. And this is something I’ve actually loved discovering: the many differences in how we eat. When E.’s sick, it’s usually Chicken Noodle Soup to the rescue. Our mealtimes have given me an appreciation of what each of us, literally, brings to the table.

If you’re interested, here’s my recipe for arroz caldo. It’s a really simple version (I’m a minimalist when it comes to this dish!), but big on that heavenly, almost-therapeutic flavor of ginger.

And I’m also including my foolproof way of making hard-boiled eggs to top your bowl off. I know boiling eggs should be fairly easy, but so many overeager cooks get it wrong, which means rubbery eggs with smelly, green yolks. I’ve finally gotten the perfect egg down to a science, and hopefully this means no more green yolks for you either.

ARROZ CALDO

3 teaspoons Canola oil

4 cloves garlic, mined

2-3 tablespoons ginger root, cut into small pieces

1 small onion, diced

1 cup uncooked jasmine rice, washed and drained

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

salt

fresh-ground black pepper

fresh lemon slices

- In a saucepan, heat the canola oil over medium heat

- Saute the onion until wilted and transparent. Drop in the ginger and stir-fry for another minute or two until the ginger gives off its characteristic, herby smell. Add the garlic, cook until aromatic (but not brown).

- Stir in the drained, wet jasmine rice and cook for about two minutes, giving the grains a chance to soak in all the flavors already in the pot.

- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring to make sure none of the rice has stuck to the bottom of the pot. Lower to a simmer.

- Cook, covered, for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Adjust liquid as necessary (some prefer their arroz caldo soupier than others.)

- Ladle into a bowl and top with a sliced hard-boiled egg. Enjoy with a squeeze or two of lemon.

PERFECT HARD-BOILED EGGS

- Place your eggs in a saucepan, and cover with COOL water (v.  important that you don’t start with warm water!) by about one inch.

- Slowly bring your water to a boil with medium heat.

- Upon boiling (as in a strong, rolling boil), cover your pan and remove from your heat source. Let sit for 12 minutes. This will vary, depending on how strongly your rolling boil was. This is what’s worked for me so far!

- Run eggs under cool water, peel and enjoy!

I’m not in tip-top shape yet, but I hope to get back to being creative and writing about it soon. In the meantime, I hope you’ve been well and virus-free!

I’ve always wanted to braid bread! And this took all of half an hour, from start to baked—only because of a secret shortcut.

I know, I know, I could have made my own dough. Except I…didn’t. Haha! I was making this the night before I would give it to a friend for her birthday, and it had been a long, hard day at work. I wanted to give my friend something homemade, but I didn’t have the energy to make dough, have it rise and roll it out. So I decided to compromise, something I rarely do. This one was a Pillsbury Bake-off finalist (1992), after all!

Along with the Pillsbury Pizza Crust, here are the other ingredients: Boursin cheese (one of my favorite things to eat!), Canadian bacon, pepperoni and eggs. You’ll also need some mozzarella and parmesan.

And really, this couldn’t be any easier! First, unroll the crust and press to size. Spread Boursin down the middle third of your dough rectangle, then top with the Canadian bacon and pepperoni.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the cured meats, then the parmesan. Bacon+pepperoni+cheese=how can you go wrong?

With a sharp knife, make cuts down both sides of your dough about an inch long, to about a half inch from your fillings. Start “braiding” the dough by overlapping alternating strips, making sure to cover the yummy goodness inside.

What to do with the ends? Pinch them shut the way I did here, and tuck them underneath the dough to seal.

Step back and say, “Wowza!” (It’s so simple to do yet looks so impressive!)

Mix an eggyolk with some water, brush on top of your braided wonder and sprinkle some poppy seeds on top.

Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, and this is what you get.

Slice and dip in pizza sauce to enjoy. So good and so embarrassingly easy!

Here’s the RECIPE for this quick, savory treat. I hope you try your hand at it, too!

It was good practice for me, and now I want to try my hand at making my own dough and playing  with different fillings. I’m already thinking of a mediterranean-inspired one with feta cheese, artichoke hearts, black olives and roasted red peppers. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

The first baking experiment I ever had as a kid was when I made a Mango Cake with a Mango Buttercream Frosting when I was 14. My nanny helped me bring all the ingredients together, but for the most part, I did all the creaming and mixing and baking by myself. It was somewhat of a major undertaking, because making buttercream in the tropical heat isn’t exactly a walk in the park. The cake wasn’t perfect, but it was my first, and for that it will always be special. After I decorated it, I stepped back with eyes wide as saucers, and said, “Wow, I made that!” And my nanny piped up and said something I will always remember, “You always could, you just didn’t know it!”

I remembered this story as I learned to make macarons last night. I attended a two-and-a-half hour baking class with Clémence Gossett of Gourmandise Desserts (at Platine Bakery in Culver City), where I learned to make these legendary little gems. They’re legendary because there’s so much myth surrounding how they’re made. And culinary myths are the worst kind. They’re spun and re-spun in kitchens, on blogs and in bakeries that they take on a life of their own. They’re shrouded in mystery and scare away the most well-intentioned home bakers; they scared this home baker for a long time.

Clémence is the kind of generous teacher who doesn’t just disseminate information. Her class wasn’t simply, “This is a pot, you put these things in it, cook it for this long and serve it this way.” We also learned about ingredients and where they come from, and being a rabid food history fan, I appreciated the lessons very much. She told us about the interesting origins of chocolate, how vanilla beans are cultivated, all the little back stories of the materials we would use to cook. And once she started telling the class about how sugar is made, I felt right at home. I grew up around sugar all my life (read this post about my childhood on a sugar mill in the Philippines). I loved hearing the story of my favorite ingredient told by someone who understood it well. Clémence was all about debunking the Great Macaron Myth, and it was refreshing to hear that my fear of these tiny things was actually quite irrational.

I’d like to think that the class was like smelling salts to the slumbering baker in me. It made me recall the pure, unadulterated joy I feel when I bake. I honestly don’t know why I forget sometimes. I guess life has a sneaky way of distracting you. For me, there’s a day job to do, things to sew, dance classes to try and get back to, blog posts to write, trips to take and people to love. But more and more, I’ve come to realize that among all my creative pursuits, I’m most confident with my baking. In my other lives, I’m still very much the hesitant quilter/crafter, the shy dancer, the tentative writer, though I try to learn as much as I can every day to become more competent in these arts. But in the kitchen, with a whisk in my hand, I’m at my most courageous. I’m most myself when I’m lost among the sounds of a busy kitchen: the steady whirring of my mixer, the cracking of eggs against the lip of a ceramic bowl, the pinging of pistachios as they’re poured into a steel bowl for shelling. These make up the soundtrack of my bravest days.

And so, if you ask: “Are macarons difficult to make?” The answer is: they are and they aren’t. They’re challenging because of the techniques you DO have to learn: how to gauge the stiffness of your meringue, how to fold your almond flour into the mixture without deflating the eggwhites, how to tell when you’ve folded enough. But at the same time, they’re easy…because I was able to make them. And I didn’t undergo training through a rigorous pastry program in culinary school. I’m just someone who loves to bake, who went to a baking class that happened to be close to my house, who watched, and listened, and learned. And I’m willing to practice.

The first thing that popped into my head when I tasted the Vanilla Macarons with Salted Caramel that we made was this: “Kanamit!” This is the word for “delicious” in Ilonggo, the dialect I grew up with. It had this crunchy shell that gave way to a delicately sweet, chewy center, that led you by your tastebuds to a rich, toe-curling caramel.

It was heavenly. And how interesting, I thought to myself, that the language of flavor in my head isn’t in English! It’s in the words of my childhood. Maybe this goes back to that very first cake, in that hot kitchen in the province, and the realization that I even as a little girl, I was capable of making delicious things with my own hands if I only set my mind to it. That memory echoes to the big girl I am today, and tells me that I CAN make macarons no matter how mysterious they may be. I could make these mouthwatering, divine treats all this time—I just hadn’t known it.

I sometimes forget how much I love baking, and then I take a class like last night and feel like going home, baking all night and not minding one bit if I fell asleep in my apron with flour on my nose and powdered sugar in my hair.

Here’s to more adventures in flour, sugar and egg whites!

——–

If you’re interested in exploring the world of dessert-making through a delicious class with Clémence, her website HERE, lists all her upcoming classes. If you sign up for her newsletter, she sends you recipes, too.

It’s been a while since my last post, and here’s where I’ve been.

Behind my new toy

I saved up for this MacBook for a while. A long while. Too long, if you ask me. Now that I have it, I don’t know how I survived all those years without my own laptop. I’ve spent the past two weeks organizing my digital life, which meant transferring files, contacts, music, pictures; syncing all to my phone; downloading applications and trying not to be too crazy organizing all the digital “furniture” in it. It’s kind of felt like I moved homes.

On page 132 of this book

Vickie Howell’s new book on the different personalities that make up the crafting movement across the world, Craft Corps, hit bookshelves today. I had responded to a call for entries about a year ago to submit my profile as a crafter for this project. I thought nothing of it until I got an e-mail later in the year saying the publishers were including my profile. I found out at lunch today that the book was available at Barnes & Noble and I half-skipped to the store the minute I got off work. I was nervous because I know text gets cut in final manuscripts, but E. and I leafed through the pages, and there I was, on page 132! (I wanted to twirl across the book aisles in sheer elation, but I didn’t want to be kicked out of there!)

What’s even more awesome is that my profile comes right after the feature on Denyse Schmidt, who’s my modern quilting heroine. I know she doesn’t know who I am, but following her in a book on crafting feels like we’re sitting next to each other on a park bench.

This book couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve been in the crafting doldrums lately, but reading it has reminded me of something: All I’ve ever really wanted to do is make the most of this chance to live a creative life, be it through something I make in the kitchen or something I put together on my craft table. I’m looking forward to slowly reacquainting myself with my sewing machine, my crochet needles, my jewelry pliers and my yarn and threads. And while I’m at it, my rolling pin, my piping bag, my electric mixer, my cookie cutters! There’s just too much awesome creative energy out there to ignore. I have to celebrate it by joining this big, creative, cool club.

And how have you been, World?

You guys, I was covered in flour and was on my feet all day. I’m tired…but really happy. The Jar Cakes I made for the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale took some time, but they turned out really well, don’t you think?

Some of you may have found your way to my blog after seeing instructions written on a Jar Cake you bought this weekend. Welcome to my patch of the world wide web! You’ll find lots of curly, crafty, delicious ideas here. I hope you have as much fun with them as I have.

If you’re interested in making these Jar Cakes yourself, they aren’t as daunting as you think. The concept’s pretty simple: It’s like making cupcakes, but your cupcake liners are actual mason jars. I’ve taken the guesswork out of cooking times and measurements in making them with two recipes: Swirled Nutella Cupcakes and Blueberry Sour Cream Coffeecakes. They take a dash of patience, but absolutely worth it to make!

Here are the two recipes I used for these Jar Cakes:

SWIRLED NUTELLA CUPCAKES

BLUEBERRY SOUR CREAM COFFEECAKES

Note that for the Coffeecakes, I decreased the sugar by half a cup. It comes with a brown sugar streusel, and I thought it would be just as good with a little bit less sugar. (And it is!)

Step #1: BUY THEM JARS.

I found these at Smart & Final for $7.99 a dozen. They’re 1/2-pint mason jars by Kerr.

Step #2: BOIL THEM JARS.

I do this to sterilize them. I boil the rims and lids as well. It’s probably not necessary, but my mother is a nurse and I can already hear her sage’s wisdom about hygiene. (My mother’s voice is part of the running commentary in my head while I’m cooking most times!)

Dry jars, rims, lids.

Step #3: FIRE UP THE OVEN, MAKE YOUR BATTER.

Step #4: GREASE THEM JARS.

I use one or two spritzes of PAM For Baking. That’s all you really need.

Step #5: MANTRA THOSE JARS.

FOR THE NUTELLA CUPCAKES, REMEMBER THIS MANTRA: BATTER, NUTELLA, BATTER, NUTELLA.

If you’re lazy, you can just plop the batter in and put all the Nutella on top. But I did it this way so that when you’re eating the cake, there’s enough Nutella-to-cupcake ratio distributed all throughout. Swirl the Nutella into the batter each time you place a layer of it in the jar.

You’ll need a 1/4 measuring cup and a small ice cream scoop for this step. I did the cupcake layers this way: 1/4 cup batter, 1 scoop Nutella, (swirl), 1/4 cup batter, 1 scoop Nutella, (swirl). I used a chopstick to swirl the Nutella.

It may seem a little laborious, but trust me, reciting the mantra helps. Remember, “Wax on, wax off?” It worked for Mr. Miyagi and Daniel in Karate Kid, it will work for you, too! Mantras will help you kick some kitchen a**!

FOR THE BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKES, YOUR MANTRA IS: BATTER, SUGAR, BATTER, SUGAR.

Use a 1/3 measuring cup and a small ice cream scoop for this step. Layers go: 1/3 cup batter, 1 scoop streusel mix, 1/3 cup batter and 1 scoop streusel mix. Pat down the last streusel mix layer.

Remember: The mantra is your friend.

Step #6: BAKE THEM JARS. (ALWAYS REMEMBER TO WIPE THE INSIDE WALL OF YOUR JARS JUST ABOVE THE BATTER LINE BEFORE YOU PUT THESE IN THE OVEN.)

Cooking times: Nutella Cupcakes = 23-25 minutes / Blueberry Coffeecakes: 55-60 minutes. The toothpick is the final authority on doneness! A couple of crumbs on it means it’s ready.

Look at these beauteous little cakes!

Step #7: STICKER THEM JARS.

I made these round labels on Word and some shipping labels. If you seal these while they’re still hot, the rubber rims actually create a vacuum and not only keep the cakes moist, but extend their shelf life considerably.

Step #8: SPOON THEM JARS.

I wanted those who bought these to be able to eat them right away, so I taped some beribboned (I love that word) spoons to the jars. At the urging of my nurse mother, I covered each of them in cling wrap, for hygiene’s sake.

Step #9: STEP BACK, THROW YOUR APRON IN THE AIR, DANCE A LITTLE JIG—YOU’VE JUST MADE THE DARNDEST CUTEST JAR CAKES!

Almost any cake/cupcake recipe can be used for Jar Cakes. I’ve made some during Christmas with Red Velvet Cake and a layer of frosting on top as gifts. With frosting, you’ll have to wait for the cakes to cool, frost them and seal them. No vacuum in that case, but you won’t need it. With frosting, that cake’s not going to last long!

I hope you have fun trying your hand at these baking gems. I’m here for questions; ask away in the comments section.

Until the our next delicious meeting, stay curly out there!

—–

Further Reading Into The Art Of Jar Cakes (Reading is fun! You should do it more!)

Wow! I love this idea! Did you invent it? (Uhm, no. Jar Cakes have been around awhile. Read this and this.)

My favorite aunt loves Nutella, but she lives in Romania. Or Japan. Or somewhere far. I wish I could... (…send these Jar Cakes by mail? Why yes, you can! These are popular as gifts to soldiers abroad. Read this.)

What am I going to do with that blasted jar once I’ve eaten the heck out of that cupcake? (I’m glad you’re thinking of recycling! These jars are great for mini terrariums, or you can make these uber cute sewing-kit jars a la Martha Stewart. Crafty, eh?)

What is Nutella, exactly? (You poor child! You’re missing half your life if you haven’t introduced your tummy to this yummy hazelnut-chocolate concoction. Read up on it here.)