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Tag Archives: nostalgia

Butterscotch Banana Sundaes

24 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Cook

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Tags

banana, bananas foster, butter, butterscotch, cook, gluten-free, ice cream, nostalgia, recipe, sulfite-free, sundae

butterscotchsundae

I was six years old when my love affair with butterscotch began. My grandmother always had a stash of mixed hard candy in the bottom of her purse, and whenever she took me bowling, she would let me dig through her big burgundy handbag in search of cellophane-wrapped goodies. I didn’t mind the occasional peppermint because they reminded me of Christmas, and I insisted on trying to eat the red-hot cinnamon discs, even though they burned my tongue. But the real objects of my affection were little butterscotch rounds, salty and sweet, wrapped in gold and equally treasured.

Fast-forward thirty years, and these sundaes are my ode to butterscotch in all its gooey, buttery glory. The star of the show is homemade butterscotch sauce, spooned over the ice cream and used to make a shortcut version of Bananas Foster to put on top. A handful of crushed salted almonds is all it needs to be positively swoon-worthy.

Butterscotch Banana Sundaes

To make one pint Butterscotch Sauce:
1/2 c. best quality unsalted butter (8 Tbsp. or one stick; I like Cabot Creamery)
2 Tbsp. golden syrup (see these recipe notes for more info; can substitute light corn syrup)
1/4 c. water
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. demerara or light brown sugar (I use demerara to stay sulfite-free)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Heat the butter, golden syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts completely. Stir in both kinds of sugar and the salt and bring mixture to a boil. Cook until the sauce reaches 245F and turns pale brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully stir in heavy cream until completely incorporated. Add vanilla and lemon juice and stir again, then pour into a glass jar and allow to cool. This keeps at room temperature for several days, or it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months; simply reheat in microwave before using.

butterscotchsundae

To make four Butterscotch Banana Sundaes:
1/2 c. homemade butterscotch sauce
2 large bananas
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch salt
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 c. ice cream, preferably all-natural (my favorite flavors with this are vanilla, butter almond, or coffee)
2 Tbsp. crushed salted almonds

Cut bananas into 1/2″-thick chunks. (I like to slice mine on the bias because I’m fancy like that. ;) In a small sauté pan, stir together 1/4 c. butterscotch sauce, cinnamon, salt, and lemon juice. Heat over medium-low until sauce begins to thin, then add sliced bananas. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bananas soften and start to look blurry around the edges, 2-3 minutes. Remover from heat and set aside until bananas are warm but not hot, so it doesn’t make a complete puddle of your ice cream.

When ready to serve, scoop 1/2 cup of ice cream into each of four small bowls. Spoon one tablespoon plain butterscotch sauce over the top of each serving, then top each sundae with 1/4 of the cooked butterscotch bananas and the warm sauce from the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of almonds over each serving, add a spoon, and enjoy.

Recipe Notes:
My butterscotch sauce recipe is adapted from one in the March 2008 issue of Saveur magazine. Saveur is one of my favorite food magazines, and this recipe came from one of my favorite special issues, entitled “The Beauty of Butter.” My sentiments exactly. ;)

butterscotchsundae

Origami Photo Cube

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by createdforjoy in Make, Read

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, cube, make, memories, nostalgia, origami, paper craft, photo, preserve, read, recycle, valentine

cubemain

Remember the ubiquitous 1970s acrylic photo cube? It had a clear plastic outer layer and a spongy cube in the center, between which you could slide five of your favorite snapshots for fashionable, easy display. My grandparents had one in their living room, and I remember twirling it from one side to the next to look at the pictures over and over again, as if they might change on the next turn.

My favorite photo in the cube was of my grandpa and I: he resplendent in a silvery blue leisure suit, I perched on his lap in my favorite Snoopy shirt. He was a gentle, charming man with brilliant white hair and thick-rimmed glasses, and I was a preschooler with blonde ringlets and a ready, crooked smile. He loved to tell cheesy jokes, and I loved to hear them… we were a good match.

Twenty years later, at his passing, I found the same photo cube sitting on the side table. The colors in the picture were faded to shades of green and umber, but he was still there, with the same smiling, twinkling eyes. I wish I had kept that photo cube; I wish I had known things like that would matter so much more some day.

I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic when I saw a photo cube project in Trash Origami. Unlike the original, this one is made entirely of paper, but it is the same concept. In the origami version, the inner structure of the cube is formed from six photo-size pieces of thick paper — I opted for cardstock scraps, but you could easily use old postcards. A few simple folds layer them together without any adhesive.

cube05

The cube’s outer layer is made from folded photographs which serve to lock the structure in place. I used 4″x6″ prints from our visit to a San Diego botanical garden this fall. I thought it would make for a welcome bright spot in the midst of my husband’s thoroughly taupe cubicle. I love the variety of textures and colors the plants provide, but the cube could just as easily display snapshots of a new baby, honeymoon pics of the newlyweds, or photos of you and your sweetheart for a custom valentine.

Best of all, it could even preserve a moment of laughter shared between grandfather and granddaughter. And although some day soon the clothes in the pictures and the technology used to capture them will again be obsolete, the memories never will. These jokes are for you, Daddy R.E. :)

Two atoms are walking along when one suddenly says to the other, “I’ve just lost one of my electrons!”
“Are you sure?” asks his buddy.
“Yes,” replies the first atom. “I’m positive.”

How do you make a Venetian blind?
Poke him in the eye.

What do you call a fish without eyes?
A fsh.

cube06

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