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!

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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.)

The National Food Bloggers Bake Sale is TWO DAYS AWAY! Woot!

WHAT: National Food Bloggers Bake Sale
WHEN: Saturday, April 17, 10:30 am to 1 pm
WHO: ME! I’ll be there from 11:30 am to help sell my Cakes In A Jar, along with baked goods from over 40 other food bloggers in Los Angeles.
WHERE: Morel’s French Bistro at The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
WHY: 100% of proceeds from the bake sale will go to Share Our Strength, whose main focus is ending child hunger in America.

IF YOU CAN GO:
Look for my uber cute Jar Cakes! I’m making Swirled Nutella Cupcakes and Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cakes. Yum!

IF YOU CAN’T GO:
You can donate online at The Girl With A Curl’s page HERE.

Tell people about it by sending them the link above or pointing them to this blog post!

The first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale, part of the Great American Bake Sale, will be held on April 17. Organized by Gaby Dalkin of WhatsGabyCooking.com, food bloggers from across the country will unite to support the cause by holding bake sales in their states. Readers will have the opportunity to taste the baked goods from their favorite food blogs at each state’s bake sale location.

Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America. Nearly 17 million—almost one in four—children in America face hunger. Despite the good efforts of governments, private-sector institutions and everyday Americans, millions of our children still don’t have daily access to the nutritious meals they need to live active, healthy lives.

Food bloggers are holding bake sales in locations across the U.S. this weekend. To find one in your area, go HERE.

So, we made some ribs, y’all. REALLY good ribs. I mean, ribs you’d take a bullet for.

But it’s not like we woke up one day and said, “Hmmm, slow roasting some pork in the oven for two hours sounds like a mighty fine idea!” I’ve never made ribs. Whole cuts of raw meat scare me! So it wasn’t actually my first choice of dish to make on a Saturday.

It’s these cupcakes’ fault!

Southern Girl Desserts is a fairly new in town. I had an awesome Groupon for them and wanted to sample their famous Sweet Potato Pie cupcakes (far left, below).

We got some lemon ones and red velvet ones as well. (How can you NOT?) Since the cupcakes were mostly southern flavors, I thought…well, now, maybe I should make a southern-style dinner too? Because you know, if I didn’t, what’s the point, then? (Really, I was just looking for an excuse to cook and decided to blame the innocent cupcakes.)

Sweet-salty-tangy barbecue sounded really southern, and really good. Except, you know, I didn’t want to do chicken. Been there, cooked that. Having never made ribs before and not having a grill, along with the fact that I hadn’t had pork in forever, I decided to follow my gut and decided on ribs. I remember my Mama Del (I know that sounds southern, too, but she’s actually my very Filipino godmother) making ribs in the oven. Could I do it? I wanted to do it!

First off, I stared the ribs down.

That is a LOT (scary amount) of pork (about four pounds total). I didn’t quite know what to do, but the Internets said to prep the huge hunk o’ pork by removing the membrane on the bony side, working the tip of a knife under it and pulling/peeling the membrane off. Which I did, with furrowed brows and an iron will. (I didn’t take pictures because I had busy, porky hands!)

I preheated the oven to 300 degrees. Next, I prepared a spice rub: ¾ c. light brown sugar + 1 tsp. paprika + 1 tbsp. garlic powder + ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, mixed all together.

I also had some Liquid Smoke on hand, and put that all over the ribs. It gives them that classic hickory barbecue flavor.

I then rubbed the spice mix all over.

On two sheets of foil (shiny side out), we laid the seasoned rack of ribs, covered with another two sheets of foil, and crimped the whole package tightly. (E. is now an expert foil crimper!) After wrapping the other rack the same way, we placed both on a cookie sheet.

Those foil packets went into the oven for two to two and a half hours. And let me tell you, if you make these ribs, those will be the most torturous hours of your life! Smoky, sweet, spicy barbecue smells come wafting out of your kitchen, invading your nostrils, forcing you to do random things like watch bad TV, twirl around or drink copious amounts of water just so you could get your mind off what’s baking in the oven.

After two+ hours, you can check and see if the meat has shrunk from the edges of the bones. The Fork Test always works: if it flakes easily, it’s done!

Cut the ribs into portions of about two to three pieces each. Brush some of your favorite barbecue sauce on top of each piece. Broil for about one to two minutes on each side, or do what we did and just stick them back into your oven after you’ve cranked it up to 400 degrees while you’re brushing them. Heat through and serve! I made some biscuits and succotash to go with these.

These are the BEST, MOST AWESOMEST ribs I’ve ever eaten, and all the credit goes to THIS recipe. You won’t try ribs any other way.  They’re so flavorful and tender, I had to eat some of mine with a fork because they just fell off the bone!

I felt so grown up after making these ribs. Maybe it’s because it’s always been something my parents have made. These will be perfect in the summer with some fresh corn on the cob. And the next time I make these, I won’t even use the cupcake excuse!

Hope you find time in these warming months to give this recipe a try, with or without some red velvet cupcakes to finish off your meal.

So, I discovered two cake-centric wines this week. What an odd coincidence. I DO like wine, though I’m not a sommelier in training by a shot. But bumping into these made me think about how cute it would be to have a dessert-and-wine nightcap/fete with friends. You know, I could make a layered chocolate cake or vanilla cupcakes to go with these. Or even make cakes with these IN them. Oy. Alcohol and sugar. My baker’s brain is exploding.

Layer Cake

Farmed from vineyards in Napa Valley, California (Cabernet Sauvignon); Puglia, Italy (Primitivo); Mendoza, Argentina (Malbec)  and South Australia (Shiraz). Brainchild of vintner Jayson Woodbridge, whose inspiration for the line was supposedly his grandfather (as you can probably already tell, I’m a bit of a sucker for family histories): “My old grandfather made and enjoyed wine for 80 years. He told me the soils in which the vines lived were a layer cake. He said the wine if properly made, was like a delicious cake layered with fruit, mocha and chocolate, hints of spice and rich, always rich. ‘Never pass up a good layer cake,” he would say.”

He has a blog with recipes for food pairings for his wines HERE. (Braised Lamb Shanks and Shiraz? Sign me up for that!)

Cupcake Wine

I actually saw these in Costco. Crafted in Monterey along California’s Central Coast, winemaker Adam Richardson has developed nine flavor profiles for the company, including: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Sirah, Dry Riesling, Malbec, Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay and a Rose Pinot Noir, which intrigues me even more because it’s such a pretty pink color in the bottle!

The company’s website has a great recipes section as well, full of interesting cupcake recipes that pair well with their wines. And by interesting I mean Lemon and Rosemary Cupcakes with Toasted Hazelnuts that’s supposedly perfect with their Riesling. There’s also Chipotle Chocolate Cupcakes with Maple Glazed Bacon for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Goodness. Bacon cupcakes and wine. The world has gone mad.

You’ve probably figured out that none of these taste like the baked goods they’re named after. But the idea of a themed nightcap is so delicious, I just may have to do it one of these days!

Spring started yesterday.

Fall remains to be my favorite time of year, followed by winter. But I have to admit the enthusiasm of people around me about longer, sunnier days is catching. I’m thinking about the produce that’s soon to fill local farmers’ markets and the season-appropriate recipes I’ll get to try my hand at. These are on my list!

Clockwise from the top are Smitten Kitchen’s Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil, a recreation of Avocado Toast by Cafe Gitane in New York, a classic Salad Nicoise and Fried Squash Blossoms. Yum!

Also, the warmer weather and drier days signal my annual breadmaking musings, when I start thinking about all the wonderful homemade bread I can attempt to make. I say “attempt” because I always tell myself to start considering the exploration of all things bready this time of year, but I always forget. This year, however, I want to make a solid effort. I got myself a copy of Beard on Bread, which was my mom’s breadmaking bible when we were kids. Maybe this time I’ll actually turn out a roll or two!

Happy Monday, all.

Exciting times in these parts!

Here’s two crafty, cook-y things you need to know today:

1) First Online Sample Sale Site For Cookware To Launch In April

Snappy Tuna promises to work in the same way online fashion sample-sale sites do, by offering top-name kitchen tools and gadgets at 70% off. When I heard about it from my boss at work, I hunted down the article on the NY Times website that alerted her to this cool, new thing on the net:

Snappy Tuna covers “the whole experience, from prepping a meal to getting it out the door,” said Marcus Greinke of his new Web site, the latest in a growing number built on the sample-sale model. Snappy Tuna specializes in well-known kitchenware and tabletop brands that are discounted up to 60 percent off retail prices, for three days only. Items for sale will include specialty foods, espresso machines and Le Creuset cookware…”

You can sign up on their site right now without an invite (you can go through my Snappy Tuna link HERE). After March 20 or so, the site will be invite-only. I’m SO excited for this!

Now if only they had something similar for fabric…ok, well, let’s not go there. Money doesn’t grow on curls, you know!

2) The First-Ever Crafty Con

YES. You read that right.

Faythe Levine, author of Handmade Nation, tweeted about this. IF money grew on curls I would go in a heartbeat! Early-bird registration is currently $699, and increases by $100 the closer it gets to the show. Plus, it’s in Chicago—home of the Joffrey Ballet and a city I’d LOVE to revisit. Sigh. Can someone out there who plans to go just stuff me into their suitcase? I’ll bring my own snacks for the plane ride! Go HERE if you can take this trip for me!