Sometimes I'm just dumb.  Well... I'm not dumb but I do dumb things.  For example, setting things on the edge of the counter.  Like running to work but forgetting my bra so that when I get there, all hot and sweaty, I have to wear my sports bra... gross.  Like sending a government envelope back to the government thinking that I didn't have to add postage because there was this thing written where the stamp was supposed to be.  I didn't read the thing and it happened to say 'place correct postage here'.  Dumb.  
Well, I did something dumb yesterday.  
Kid #1 asked for red velvet whoopie pies.  I said yes.  Now keep in mind that Mother's Day was the day before.  Keep in mind that I had just been travelling with 65 gr 5 and 6 boys for the weekend.  Keep in mind that my mind was kinda fuzzy and I'd been working all day.  I quickly found a recipe on the net.  I skimmed the recipe... barely.  I pulled out ingredients.  I saw sour cream sitting in the fridge.  I grabbed said sour cream.  I thought, 'this sour cream would go well in the whoopie pies - I could use this instead of buttermilk' (dumb).  I put the sour cream with the rest of the ingredients.  
I put together the ingredients and did my thing.  I really did my thing... I never checked the recipe again.  Let's just talk for a minute about what I changed or didn't bother with at all:
1.  Didn't check about whether to mix together the flour/cocoa/baking powder.  Why check, all recipes are the same... right.
2.  Didn't bother to precisely measure the butter.  
3.  Didn't use buttermilk, added sour cream instead... still needed to add milk.  
4.  Didn't check for an oven temperature or how long to bake the cookies.  
5.  Didn't have liquid food colouring, used paste instead and didn't check the recipe about when to add the colouring.  
How did all this turn out?  




Mediocre... at best.  I was thoroughly disgusted truth be told.  My kids are still eating them but damn... they suck.  
For the record, sour cream is not interchangeable with milk or buttermilk.  
For the record, food colouring doesn't mix well if the butter isn't wet enough.  
For the record, when you are tired sometimes you just do dumb things.  
For the record, today I bought a whoopie pie recipe book and will try this again the right way.  
I'm giving you the recipe as I saw it and then telling you what I did to screw it up.  




Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
makes 16 or so icky cookies


2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. cocoa powder
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed (used muscovado... that's all I had)
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature (use 1/2 cup sour cream... then add another 1/2 cup milk)
1 oz. red food coloring


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  (my recipe)
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.  
Using another bowl cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg and the vanilla.  
Add in the flour mixture and mix that until it seems mixed in.  Add in the sour cream.  Mix and realise that this is turning out like bread dough... add in the milk.  
By this time the batter will be pasty and gross but loose enough that you can add the food colouring (even though you should probably have added the food colouring to the milk and done things that way.  Try to mix in the food colouring and realise that using paste isn't the same and won't mix properly.  Think that maybe it will look kinda cool that you've got 'marble' whoopie pies.  Realise that marble whoopies pies kinda suck.  




Drop the pastry grossness on a lined cookie sheet by tablespoons.  Bake for about 10 - 11 minutes.  




Once they all cool throw some cream cheese icing on the underside of one and sandwich together with another until they're all done.  
Give them to kids... they don't care if they're gross... buy a recipe book that has a proper recipe.  

I'm still a little mind-numbed after returning from the Junior Choir Tour with the school that I work at.  We were gone for 2 1/2 days (yes... the half counts, damn).  We returned mid-afternoon on Mother's day and were right back at work today.  Yeah, mind-numbed is the correct turn of phrase for how I'm feeling right now.  There is nothing that can fully prepare you for the intensity of 65 eleven and twelve year old boys in one place.  When you are with them for any length of time, you just want to... well, let's just say it wears on you.  I'm happy to be home, in my own bed and with my own kids... only two of them.

The weather has improved dramatically here in Toronto.  I'm already thinking about planting and where I can steal time to do it.  It's energizing to start thinking about the garden - planning it this year, thinking about vegetables, about how much we can fit in there.  I'll be taking pictures of lilacs soon and I've already harvested some chives.  The rhubarb is coming up well and in another month it will be ready for some jam jars.
In the meantime though it's seasonally still pretty slim pickings.  Last week I got some new Stinging Nettles in the food box.  I'm expecting that spring spinach will be coming soon.  Ultimately though, we are still waiting for real growth.  I'm working with local root veggies as much as I can.  Scrounging up new ways to work them into our meals.


Yam is a fairly new 'root' for me.  It's pretty damn boring as root vegetables go.  No exciting colours.  Bland.  No bark like skin.  No bulbous or interesting shape even.  Just a fat tuber.  The taste however is something quite unexpected.  It's mild, without the sweetness of a sweet potato yet it has a lovely substantial texture and keeps it's together well.  It's lovely to cook with.  It doesn't stand out in a stew the way a sweet potato does, it's incredibly good for you and can be used interchangeably with potatoes.  If you gotta be waiting around for the exciting 'greens' of spring this ain't a half bad way to do it.


Bean and Yam Chipotle Stew
serves 6

2 cans pinto beans, drained but save the water
1 large yam (about 2 1/2 cups) chopped into large chunks
1 onion, diced
1 large rib of celery, diced
2 cups chard, diced
3/4 - 1 cup parsnip, diced
1/2 - 3/4 cup green or red pepper, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced

Spice mix:
2 tsp salt
3 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp chipotle powder (more if you want some extra spice)
1 1/2 tsp ginger
2 tbsp sugar or honey
2 veggie bouillion cubes
2 - 3 tbsp water

1/2 cup tomato paste
chorizo or other sausage (optional), baked for about 25 minutes, cooled and sliced.
1 cup water (or use the drained bean liquid and top it up to 1 cup with extra water)

Combine the spices in a bowl.  Add in the sugar or honey, a little water and the bouillion cubes.  Mix until it forms a smooth paste and set aside.
Heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Add some oil for the veggies.  Add the yam, onion, celery, parsnip and green pepper.  Cook for about 7 minutes or so over medium heat.  Turn down to medium low and add in the garlic and chard.  Cook for another 5 minutes.
Add in the drain beans, the sausage and tomato paste.  Cook together for just a few minutes.  Add in the water/bean liquid.
Add in the spice paste.  Cook together for about 10 minutes over med/low heat.  It should just barely simmer.  Check the tastes and adjust if necessary.
Simmer for about 30 minutes or so.
Serve with rice or tortilla.