It is Finally Too Hot to Bake

I live in Portland. Have I mentioned that? And that all winter while it’s cold and rainy we tell everyone, “We don’t mind this crappy gray weather because our summers are beautiful!”? This year the rain just kept coming though. It rained pretty much up until last week when it finally reached 80 and the sun came out. With this kind of summer and another rainy winter just around the corner, an Oregon girl needs to take advantage of the sun while she can.

I visited my grandpa in Eastern Oregon.

Then I went camping with friends here:

And did a little rafting.

But no worries because the half-finished projects are piled up on my sewing table and eventually I’ll have to come inside to nurse my whopping sunburn and finish them.

Caramelized Onion Dip

It’s summer! Go make yourself some onion dip. Not the salty, fake onion flavored one made out of soup mix, but one made from cooking loads of onions in butter and olive oil until they are sweet and caramelized and then swirling them into sour cream and cream cheese.

I made this onion dip when I had some friends over the other day and served it with crackers, cut up vegetables and smoked salmon. Everyone kept scooping up the dip and salmon on the same cracker (Yup, right out of the bowl. We’re classy like that.). I would have never thought of mixing the two but it was really good. I think next time I might make the dip with some smoked salmon mixed in as a variation on the typical cream cheese based smoked salmon dip.

What makes this dip so good is the deeply caramelized onions. It takes a bit of time but it’s worth it.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs butter

1 Tbs olive oil

2 large yellow or sweet onions, finely diced

1 tsp black pepper (I like this dip with a peppery kick. Use less if pepper isn’t your thing)

1/2 tsp salt

a pinch of red chili flakes

8 oz cream cheese

16 oz sour cream

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, salt, pepper and chili flakes and sauté until onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let onions cool completely.

Puree 1/2 of the onion mixture in a food processor. Add cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and soy sauce and process until combined and smooth. You can also use an electric hand mixer but the dip won’t be as smooth.

Spoon dip into a container. Stir in remaining onions and taste for salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour but over night is better.

Tear Off Cleaning Checklist Tablets

A friend of mine is struggling to get his roommates to clean up after themselves. This seems to be a common problem, whether it’s with roommates, a significant other or kids. I once had a roommate that hosed everything down with Lysol and called it clean.

I made some tablets of cleaning checklists for my friend to try. One version is a little more sarcastic and pushy and the other is more cordial (the one above). I sewed across the top of the tablet pages which worked well because it holds everything together but perforates each page so it can be easily torn out if needed.



If you want to make your own cleaning checklist tablets click here . Then click on export and select Word.
Open the document once it has downloaded and edit it to fit your needs. (I haven’t used this particular program before so if you have any issues please email me or let me know in the comments and I will fix it)


The pages print four to a sheet. I printed two sheets so each tablet would have eight pages. Make sure when you cut them out that you leave room at the top for binding.

Line up the pages and then sew across the top with a an 1/8” seam allowance. Backstitch on the ends.



Cut a 3/4”x4” (or the width of the pages, depending on how small you cut them) of scrapbook paper. Fold it in half and glue it over the top of the tablet, making sure the tablet is tucked all the way into the fold.



Buy some candy bars to use for bribing rewards and you’re all set.

Blueberry, Lemon and Ginger Bread Pudding

Lest you think I’m completely crazy for baking in the middle of July, this is what the sky currently looks like here in Portland:



I’m actually wearing a sweater and jeans at the moment and I’m still a little cold. It’s ridiculous. However, it’s been great for baking with all of the berries that are still going strong in this wet, cool summer.



I picked a bag full of huge, super sweet blueberries at my friend’s house the other day and whipped up a citrusy blueberry bread pudding.



I think the key to good bread pudding is to start with high-quality, day old bread, butter it liberally and then toast it so it absorbs all of the creamy custard.





I used a French batard this time but have also had good luck with regular French bread and ciabatta. If you like a softer, more custard-like bread pudding use a softer bread.

Ingredients:
6-7 large, thick slices of bread
3 Tbs butter + more for pan, softened
3 whole eggs + 3 egg yokes
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1/2 cup sugar + 1 Tbs for sprinkling
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs lemon zest
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup blueberry jam
1/4 cup candied ginger, finely chopped

Instructions:
Preheat broiler. Butter a 9”x13” baking dish.

Butter both sides of bread slices. Cut into 1” cubes and broil until barely toasted, turning occasionally. Watch them. They burn fast. Reduce oven to 325.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl beat eggs, yokes, milk, cream, vanilla, salt, lemon and grated ginger.
Let bread cool for a few minutes and then stir into egg mixture. Let the bread and egg rest for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour 1/2 of the bread mixture into buttered dish and top with half of the blueberries. Spoon the jam over the bread in teaspoon sized dollops. Add the rest of the bread and blueberries. Gently press bread into the dish. Sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the candied ginger.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until custard is set and top is brown. You can broil it for a few additional minutes to caramelize the sugar and ginger if you like.

Serve warm with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.