Little Otsu - Portland OR

Visiting my mom in Bend, Oregon has its perks. Portland perks to be exact. Full of great eats and fun shopping. We love exploring the different neighborhoods on our little stop overs. With a baby in the car we never know if the timing will work out, but I usually insist we stop on the way back if not on the way there just so I can get my hands on a scoop of ice cream from Salt & Straw. 

With Salt &B Straw in so many neighborhoods we usually just pick one based on what we want to eat or maybe shopping we want to do. I love to hit the fabric stores and Mr. Ramon loves to hit a record store. This trip we stopped on Division St. Home of the famous Pok Pok. Neither of us were really very hungry but I wanted ice cream and to take in the little stores dotting the street. 

Ice cream flavors featured were all about Thanksgiving - Buttered Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Sweet Potato with Maple Pecan and more. We tasted them all and walked out with a couple scoops. If you have not been - and are a lover of ice cream it is imperative you stop when in Portland or LA.

One of the reasons we like to stop is that Lady likes to stretch her legs. Its a long ride to be crammed in a car seat. Now that she is walking and on the move I try to let her get as much activity in as she needs. Hard on a road trip. So these little stop overs are perfect. She can sun up and down the sidewalks and shop in the stores with us. Sometimes we find park for swinging and flower picking. 

There were some cute shops and lots of yummy places to eat in this neighborhood but one shop caught my eye and ended up being the place I couldn't resist picking up a few things. Little Otsu is the kind of place I wish was mine. Filled with paper goods - planners, journals, cards and other treasures like beautiful pens, kids books, calendars and gifts. 

I've been looking for a new calendar as we head into 2016. I am a paper calendar girl. I have tried so many times to convert to a digital calendar and sync with Mr. Ramon so our whole family is online and organized. But it s just not me. I need to feel it as I write it and be able to open it and look at many months in front of me. This last year I went with a very slim version only containing months. I am ready to get back to a calendar with full months as well as week views for more detailed calendaring. I also continue to try and get Mr. Ramon to use a calendar. He is not great at it - and since I calendar for the family he doesn't think he has a lot of need. 

We loved looking around this store and I could have spent all my dollars easily. Lady was helpful rearranging their card selection. She's so helpful! We did walk out with a few items that really are lovely and represent the kind of things you can find there. 

I picked up a beautiful Rifle Paper Co 18 month calendar, an adorable zipper pouch (I am addicted to zipper pouches) and Mr. Ramon decided on a week to week calendar that is blank so if he falls off the calendar wagon he can pick right up without the guilt of empty months to look at! 

Clockwise -

Cute cat bag - Darling Clementine

Rifle Paper Co 18 Month Calendar 

Tiny Pencil from Little Otsu

Little Otsu Week to Week Planner 

If you find yourself in Portland this is a lovely shop with beautiful goods and helpful people inside, stop and take a look! 

Hello Robin!!

As a baker of cookies I was very excited to hear about the new cookie shop Hello Robin that would be opening in Seattle on 19th, a block that is quickly gaining fame with the addition of Linda Derschangs Newest restaurant Tallulaha and the beautifully curated grocery Cone & Steiner. Hello Robin is a beautiful partnership between Robin Wehl Martin and Molly from the well know Molly Moon's Ice Cream. 

Mr. Ramon and I stopped in one night to check out this spot and get our cookie on. I was blown away by the design of the shop. The use of robins egg blue and white were clean and sophisticated. The space - though small feels full of light and air with the high ceiling and open plan. I was so excited to see a huge work table/bar with chairs around it allowing for classes, demos and getting up close and personal to the cookie making process. I think one of the most beautiful parts of the store is the blue and white tile. 

Now the cookies. I am a bit of a cookie snob and know just what I like. Mr. Ramon chose the Habanero Orange Chocolate and I decided on a classic chocolate chip and a ginger cookie. I really liked the domed shape of the cookies knowing I would find it chewy in the center and just crispy enough around the edges. Honestly I was prepared to be a bit let down as I usually am when buying others cookies - but these were magical in every way. I honestly can't say I have had a better cookie anywhere in the city. 

The customer service was also fantastic. The employee working, Sophie was excited about her wares and we swapped cookie stories. It was so nice to have a freindly face working in this beautiful shop. 

If you are out and about I recommend you stop in at Hello Robin and pick up a couple of these amazing cookies to snack on. 

Valentines Brownie Hearts

I had quite a few orders for baked sweets come in for Valentines Day. One client lets me decide which type of goodies to bring and I decided to bring them an assorted box of cookies, cupcakes and these adorable frosted brownie hearts. Perfect for the sweetie in your life!! 

The great thing about these is you can use any brownie recipe - even a box variety if you are short on time and ingredients. You want to bake your brownies in a 9x9 pan so they are thinner and you get more hearts. Choose a cookie cutter that is the size you like for your brownie cut outs. I used hearts since its Valentines Day but you could use any shape for any occasion. 

I lined my brownie pan with parchment so when the brownies were fully cooled you could pull them out in ine sheet and easily cut them with the cookie cutter. I save all the leftover brownie pieces for someone in the house to snack on! 

These are fun the way they are but an easy frosting and some toppings make them really special. I made up a quick "buttercream" in a pretty rose color and frosted all of them. Some I added sparkles to and the others I rolled in toasted coconut. Yum!

The possibilities are endless. Pretty much any sprinkle or topping canbe used. Have fun. This is a great thing to do with your children. 

Easy Buttercream Fosting

4 tablespoons cold butter cut into pieces

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients into the bowl of your mixer. Blend all ingredients until smooth. 

Should be a nice smooth texture. 

Add food coloring if desired

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

I was excited to receive a baking book for Christmas from Mr. Ramon - Baked Elements: Our 10 Favorite Ingredients. I have already been baking my way through another of their books - Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented for the last year. In my eyes Matt and Renato of Baked can do no wrong. They continue to push the envelope of flavor and texture and always amaze me. I love to follow them on Facebook - when I am just waking up they are already posting delicious pictures of what the bakery is offering for the day. If you love drooling over baked goods - I recommend following them! 

I have several clients that I bake assorted cookies and bars for regularly so I scanned through my new book for something to add in to my rotation. I came across their recipe for Brown Butter Snickerdoodles. I love a snickerdoodle. This is a cookie that I remember often from my childhood. When I bake classic cookies I like to see how to take them to the next level - make them the adult version of what you remember as a child. That could mean adding rum, a little more salt or in this case browning the butter for a deeper flavor. 

I am always happy with the results of the Baked recipes and this was no exception. My house was filled with the scent of brown butter and cinnamon. Yum! I hope you get a chance to make these - you will enjoy them as much as my clients did!

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Makes about 24 cookies

For the cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

For the cinnamon-sugar:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Place butter in a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until butter melts and foams. Continue cooking until the foam subsides, brown specks form in the bottom of the pan, and the butter turns nut brown (8-10 minutes).

Pour butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-low speed for 5-7 minutes to cool the butter to room temperature.

Whisk together flour, cream of tartar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Combine eggs and milk in a small bowl. Whisk lightly.

Turn off mixer when butter has cooled to room temperature. Add sugar and brown sugar. Beat at medium for about 2 minutes. Stop Mixer and scrape down sides of bowl. Turn mixer speed to low and pour in egg mixture. Beat until well-combined.

Add flour mixture in three portions, beating just until combined after each addition.

Gather dough into a mound in the bowl. Cover bowl and refrigerate at least an hour, or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir together cinnamon-sugar ingredients in a wide-mouth bowl.

Using about 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll dough into balls. Roll each ball in cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place cookies about 1 & 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are cracked and set. Let cool on sheets for 10 minutes then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. 

Recipe modified from: Baked Elements

Espresso Biscuits

I like a little sweet in the morning. Usually I am on my best behavior and stick to oatmeal or cereal to start my day right - but sometimes I go the other way. A cup of coffee and something sweet and a little sinful to pair with it. A kick-start to my morning. 

Instant espresso is one of my pantry secret weapons. I love adding it to a variety of chocolate baked goods. It deepens the cocoa flavor in such a lovely way. Often I add a tablespoon or two into the liquid ingredients in a recipe. Sometimes I add it to the dry ingredients for cookies. 

The other ingredient in this recipe to call out is the Dutch Process Cocoa. Unlike regular baking cocoa, Dutch Process Cocoa is made from cacao beans that have been washed with a potassium solution, to neutralize their acidity and mellow out the cocoa flavor. When recipes call for Dutch Process Cocoa you want to not swap it our for natural cocoa as it can change the outcome of your recipe. 

These Espresso Biscuits are perfect with a cup of coffee or a bowl of ice cream. I also love to wrap some up and take them to a friend. They have a really full cocoa taste and are dry in a really good way - that must be all the butter balancing them. 

Espresso Biscuits

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa

1 1/2 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 teasponn vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment

In a small bowl sift together the flour, instant espresso and cocoa 

In a larger bowl blend the butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy with an electric mixer - about 3-4 minutes

Gradually mix in the flour mixture to the butter mixture - making sure to scrape downt he sides of the bowl

Roll 2 tablespoons of dough at a time between your hands to form a ball

Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart

Use tines of a dinner fork to press the dough down into the biscuit shape

Bake until firm to the touch - 10-12 minutes

Transfer to a wire rack to cool 

Will store for 3 days in airtight container