Check out what Mr. Kaizer had for me when I came home from work today.  Five mini loaf pans, a liquid measuring cup, a strainer, a pastry cutter, and a sifter.  He just picked them up for me while he was out and about in the city.  So sweet of him!

But I think it’s his way of asking politely for more banana bread.

The question this Sunday was, what to bake?  After an apple pie and banana bread, the only other thing I really felt comfortable making was cookies.  My mom is a cookie-baking fiend.  Making eight different types of cookies for Christmas is pretty standard.  But when it came to other baked goods, they were almost never from scratch (except Grandma’s banana bread, of course).  There’s nothing wrong with that, of course.  I think we have always been cookies and ice cream people.  I’m just saying that coming from a house that didn’t have a springform pan or a bundt pan, trying to navigate the world of baking is a little unnerving.  After just two recipes, I feel like I’m totally flying blind.  So what to try next?

Cookies was the obvious choice.  I’ve helped my mom make so many batches of them, it seems like the logical step – not to mention an easy one.  Ok, if you don’t count eating a bunch of raw dough as helping, I’ve probably actually helped about a dozen times.  The problem was that cookies seemed too easy, too familiar.  I mentioned in my very first post that I’m trying to do more things that scare me.  Well, baking anything besides an apple pie, banana bread, or cookies definitely scares me.  So I decided to try scones.

Ingredients for Lemon Curd

I know there are tons of recipes out there for scones with cranberries or chocolate in them, but what about just plain scones?  And what can you have with a scone besides jam so you can actually swallow it?  (I think every scone I’d ever had up to this point had been painfully dry.)  While looking for recipes, I found the answer.  Lemon curd!  Ok, I had never had it before.  But so many people raved about it, that I figured there must be something to it.  And I did a bit more reading and found out that It was a component of the filling used in fruit tarts.  So being able to make lemon curd couldn’t be a bad thing.

I prepped all my ingredients because I wasn’t sure how quickly the process would go once it started.  I’m glad I did – I didn’t stop stirring the entire time.  The only thing I didn’t do was zest the lemon.  But Mr. Kaizer, sweetheart that he is, did it for me.  As soon as it went in to the fridge, I cleaned up and started making the dough for the scones.  Since I have  never seen buttermilk for sale in Japan, I had to make my own following the instructions from the scone recipe.  It worked beautifully.

Ready for the oven!

I was not prepared for how sticky the scone dough was.  I was convinced I had done something wrong.  I mean, the recipe just said to cut the rolled out dough into wedges and to give it an egg wash.  It didn’t say the dough would stick to the knife like superglue!  I did what I could, though, and then shoved it all in the oven in the hopes that it would turn out ok.

After 20 minutes, I sprinkled the scones with powdered sugar and put them back in the oven with the broiler on.  But I had to take them out before the sugar was able to crystallize over the entire surface because the tops were getting too dark.  But aside from the tops being a bit darker than I wanted, they were perfection.  I mean, just look at the picture at the top and try saying no to it.  Cannot be done, my friends.  As for the lemon curd, holy awesomeness, Batman!  Totally amazing stuff.  I don’t know how I lived my life thus far without it.  If you have never had it, you must make some.

Both of these recipes will be printed out and stuffed into the Betty Crocker cookbook.  Dear Betty already has a lemon curd recipe, but hers calls for a lot more lemon juice.  I’m not overly fond of citrus, so I opted for the Joy of Baking recipe instead.  (When in doubt, use the recipe that calls for more sugar.)  The plain scones were fantastic for allowing the flavor of the lemon curd to really shine.  And I suspect that if I take them out of the oven sooner they will be the best tasting, least oh-my-gosh-it’s-so-dry scones ever.

Any suggestions for what to make next Sunday?

May life continue to inspire you,

Miss Kaizer

My neighbor's blue hydrangeas.

With rain comes dreary, cloudy skies.  But you also get flowers and greenery.  Recently I’ve noticed I have a lot more appreciation for seasonal changes than I used to.  Yes, I’ve always noticed seasonal changes, but when I was living in the States, I didn’t really stop to appreciate them.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, determined to thoroughly enjoy my limited free time to the fullest, or because I’m living in a society that really appreciates the different seasons for the unique delights they have to offer.  Whatever the reason, I know that it was my neighbor’s beautiful hydrangeas that made me stop and say “I simply must take a picture of these flowers.”  And after that, “I simply must share these pictures with everyone!”

Another neighbor's purple hydrangeas.

After noticing the flowers, I noticed the lush grass growing in the field next to the apartment.  The field next to our building has been an empty field since we moved in two and a half years ago, and it feels like having a yard that we don’t have to take care of.  On the edges of the field are fruit trees and vegetable patches.  And our nearest neighbors.  It’s a very unique setup for Tokyo.  When people at work ask me in tones of shocked disbelief why I live an hour commute from the office, I just show them these pictures.

Aside from getting me to pull out the camera voluntarily, something which rarely happens, spring also inspired me to engage in other equally uncharacteristic behaviors.  I baked.  To you, that sentence may seem totally innocuous.  But to anyone who knows me they probably had to re-read it a dozen times before finally saying “no way would Miss Kaizer ever bake.”  Well, the truth is that I did bake.  And while my inner feminist wept bitter tears, I was secretly very pleased with myself.  I didn’t exactly make the dough from scratch, but I was still pretty darn proud.  I mean, I rolled out a pie crust.  Lil ‘ol me.  We don’t have a pie pan in the Kaizer Kasa, but we do have a Betty Crocker Cookbook (thanks, Mom) that provided me with the recipe I used for an apple pie on a cookie sheet.  The filling was four apples peeled, sliced, and mixed with brown sugar and a little butter.  What we got after 25 minutes in the world’s smallest oven was pure sugary heaven.  Awww, yeah!  I’m now a baking fiend!

Please forgive the darkness of the photo. It was late when I finished baking.

We each had a large piece while it was still warm.  Omnomnomnom!  It was an easy project and has given me confidence in my ability to actually bake.  I think I’m going to try Grandma’s banana bread recipe next Sunday.  I actually wanted to do that today, but we didn’t have any milk and neither of us felt like leaving the apartment.  I threw the bananas in the freezer so I can use them next week.  Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I’m actually looking forward to baking next week.  Ssshhhh!  It’s days  like this I realize how inspiring life can be.

Until next time, may life continue to inspire you.

Miss Kaizer