Dan got a bike trainer as an early Christmas gift. It’s a bit noisy but fairly affordable and effective. It’s nice to see him do more than sit at the computer.

This chair was relocated to the computer room to make space for the Christmas tree. Gabby’s yarn basket is in the seat and she is determined to nap there.

Baby Back Ribs

2 racks pork ribs
2 T salt
4T sugar
2T ground cumin
2T ground black pepper
2T Ancho chili powder
2T sweet paprika
2T Hungarian half-sharp paprika

Preheat the oven to 180 F. Bring the ribs to room temperature and rub  with the spicees. Wrap in foil and bake at 180F for 3 hours. Finish on the grill at low heat 10 minutes per side.

Chocolate and peanut butter desserts always go over well in this house. For his cake I tried this recipe this year. I forgot to freeze my layers though so assembly was a bit rocky- if you make this don’t forget to freeze your layers. I also made vanilla ice cream from the recipe Mom always used which is still my absolute favorite.

Vanilla Ice Cream

3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups light cream
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat eggs and milk together in a large saucepan. Add sugar (and a vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise if you like). Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Mixture should smoothly coat the spoon. Cool, strain,  then add cream and vanilla. Refrigerate overnight. Freeze as directed.

Here’s the full costume for best effect. The sword was  gussied up during art metals class with a coat of black paint all over and then red paint down on the tip. The helmet is borrowed from a friend and will be a template for the next big art metals project. The non-smudge black paint stayed on fairly well throughout the day (some rubbed off where the helmet presses) and washed off fairly easily. The felt cross and flames need to be stitched on. I was afraid to do that on the sewing machine since I have very little experience with applique but this morning it occurs to me I could easily sew that on by hand so I’ll have to remedy that later this week.

In between the snipping and the ironing I made the slightly delayed taco salads for dinner. There’s ground pork cooked with onions, salt, cumin, chili powder, granulated garlic and granulated onion. I warmed the tortilla chips then topped them with the meat, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheddar cheese, green onions and a homemade version of ranch dressing. It was very quick and easy, just what I needed on such a busy knight, err night.

Apparently gifts are still appreciated. He’d asked for some gaming things but we also got a little MP3 player that was greatly appreciated. He asked for a peanut butter cake with white chocolate icing. It took some searching but I found a PB chocolate chip cupcake recipe to adapt and off we went.

I found the cake to be a bit dry and crumbly but that’s probably because I made a single batch which turned out to be too little when split between two cake pans. I’m writing up the directions for a double batch which should be just right. If anyone makes this please let me know if it’s moist or if it needs further tweaking from there. The icing was fab. I’m not a fan of white chocolate but I loved this icing.

Peanut butter chocolate chip cake with white chocolate frosting

for the cake:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Coat two 9-inch baking pans with cooking spray and flour.

Combine dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) in the bowl of a mixer and blend thoroughly. Combine wet ingredients (except for peanut butter) in a measuring cup and whisk together with a fork. Add wet ingredients and peanut butter to the bowl of the mixer and blend until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips then transfer to cake pans, dividing evenly. Bake at 375 F 25-30  minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan ten minutes then remove to a wire rack until completely cool.

for the frosting:
12 ounces white chocolate, chopped, melted, cooled to room temperature
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 cups unsalted butter, cubed, cold
2 cups powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a mixer and whip at high speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Frost and assemble cake.

Spring garden prep continues. I’ve spread some rock along the side of the raised bed where it often gets muddy. I picked up pansies, violas, and Johnny-jump-ups yesterday and installed those in the patio pots along with a rosemary and some creeping thyme. Anything else will have to wait until after the frost date but these will provide plenty of lovely color until then.

While Daniel was away on April vacation with his dad he was able to create coasters from the wood I’d bought him. All they need now is a bit of sanding and a coat of varnish. It took a bit of hunting in the basement but I did manage to unearth a can of clear finish for him to use on these so perhaps this afternoon while it’s still warm he’ll get around to that.