Recipe: Cherry Mashers by Joanna Gaines

 

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One of my favorite parts of the holidays is making sweet treats with my mom. She was watching a video in which Joanna Gaines was making her Aunt Mary's cherry mashers dessert, so we thought we'd try making them.

Ingredients

• One 7.2-ounce package Betty Crocker Home Style Fluffy White Frosting Mix (see Cook’s Note)
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) margarine, at room temperature
• One 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• One 20-ounce package chocolate almond bark, broken into smaller pieces
• One 11.5-ounce bag milk chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 cups dry-roasted salted peanuts, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the frosting mix, powdered sugar, margarine, maraschino cherries, vanilla, and condensed milk. Starting on low speed, then gradually turning the speed to medium, beat until the mixture has a fluffy consistency, about 4 minutes.
3. Form the cherry mixture into 1-inch balls using a small (.75-ounce) cookie scoop. Place on the prepared baking sheet and freeze until firm, 1 to 2 hours.
4. To make the chocolate coating: In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate bark, chocolate chips, peanuts, and vegetable oil and melt over medium heat, mixing to combine.
5. Working in batches, remove the cherry balls from the freezer and dunk them one at a time with a fork or spoon into the chocolate mixture. Allow any excess chocolate to drip off over the pan, then return the balls to the parchment paper.
6. Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 20 minutes.
7. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

TIP: If you can’t find or don’t want to use the powdered frosting mix, omit the mix and decrease the amount of sweetened condensed milk to 3 tablespoons.

One thing that was tricky about this recipe was that, in the video my mom showed me, Gaines does not use the frosting mix (like in the tip above). So that threw us off. Even in the official recipe, while it says to see "cook's note," nowhere does the page say "cook's note." It's the "tip" I've included above. So this recipe is a little confusing. 

The cherry center is very soft even after being in the freezer for a few hours, so you have to move quickly. And we only melted a bag of chocolate chips and one bar of semi-sweet chocolate to cover the chocolate centers; we didn't bother with the peanuts or sprinkles. It got a bit messy with all the melted chocolate.

But what was even messier: as I was carrying the tray of these desserts down the spiral staircase to put them in the freezer, I fell down the stairs. I'm actually amazed how many of the desserts survived my fall, but my pants were covered in chocolate, and I was left with quite the bruise on my lower hip:

So these desserts had to be worth it! I thought they were good, but they are really rich. They are more like candy than cookie, so the smaller, the better. My mom said she probably wouldn't bother making this recipe again, but I thought they tasted pretty good, even if they didn't quite look like the picture:

Recipe: Raspberry Jam Shortbread Bars

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I recently tried to make raspberry oatmeal bars, and that was quite a flop. So I wanted to try again and make this raspberry jam shortbread recipe from the Sweets by Elise blog.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 large egg, cold
• 2.75 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup raspberry jam

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325° F. Line an 8-inch pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl with mixer, combine cold butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and egg together until smooth.
3. Slowly add flour to the dough, mixing until butter turns slightly creamy. Batter will be sticky, not crumbly.
4. Transfer 3/4 of the dough into prepared pan, pushing it down with hands to smoothen and spread it. Dough should be pressed firmly into the pan.
5. Spread the raspberry jam over the dough. Crumble the remaining dough over the jam, making sure to evenly disperse it over the filling. Ensure the edges of the pan have enough crumble, as the bars will be difficult to handle without crumble around the sides.
6. Bake for 37-45 minutes or until the crumble on top is golden brown.
7. Allow to cool before glazing/slicing. 

Now for how it actually turned out...

I didn't have any almond extract, so I just used 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract. At no point did my dough look "creamy" or "smooth." It was crumbly the entire time. And my raspberry jam was so liquidy that I didn't even spread it: I poured it over the dough in the pan. So there was no leaving any edges like the recipe suggests; even adding some corn starch to the jam didn't help. And after 40 minutes, I still didn't have a golden brown topping, but I was afraid to overcooked it, so I removed it from the oven even though it was still a little blonde. I didn't bother making the glaze (the full recipe includes the instructions for that); I figure I can always used store-bought icing if I feel like icing these.

While it doesn't look great (actually looks almost identical to my previous recipe), this one tastes much better and the soft texture is divine. It's a little dry, but not nearly like the other one. I also think I might have used oats that could have been stale or too old, so that didn't help with the other recipe, so I didn't have to worry about that with this one. I would try to make these again, but maybe with a higher-quality jam that actually has some substance to it.

Recipe: Easiest Ever Raspberry Jam Bars

 

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After my work holiday party, there was a lot of leftover raspberry jam. I hate to let food go to waste, so I immediately looked up recipes that call for that ingredient. This was the second recipe I found (via the Recipe Tin Eats blog), and with the word "easiest" in the title, I knew that was the one I'd make!

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups rolled oats (not quick, instant, or steel cut)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup raspberry jam

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° (fan forced) (Note 1)
2. Spray a 9-inch square tin with oil and line with baking/parchment paper with overhand (so it can be lifted out once cooked)
3. Mix together all ingredients except for the egg and jam.
4. Add the egg to the mixture and mix in fully. 
5. Place 2.5 cups of the mixture into the tin and press into base. Spread the jam (Note 2), then use your hands to crumble the remaining mixture over the top (Note 3). 
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is deep golden. Remove and allow to cool in the tin before lifting out of the tin using the baking paper.
7. Cut into squares (can make 16 smaller or 9 larger!). Serve at room temperature. 

Notes

1. If you have a standard oven that is not fan forced/convection, then it will take around 40 minutes to bake. Go by the color on the top - it should be deep golden brown. 
2. If your jam is not soft and easy to spread, pop it in the microwave for 1 minute to soften.
3. The mixture will be a bit clumped together, so use your fingers to crumble it onto the top. The better your crumble it, the softer the top will be once baked, so when you bite into it, it doesn't press down and make the jam ooze out.

I do not have a convection oven, so I baked mine for 40 minutes. I didn't actually read the other notes until after I had already put the thing in the oven, but I had heated the jam for a little bit (not totally spreadable, but certainly not as solid) and I think "crumble with hands" is pretty self-explanatory.

But... I think I used too much jam, and maybe didn't save enough of the crumble mixture for the top:

Speaking of oozing... The jam was not contained. So then it was just a thin layer, which meant each bite is really mostly the flour-oatmeal mixture. And that part is quite dry. I think this would be served best with ice cream to help moisten everything. Not my proudest baking moment... but not as bad as this monstrosity. 

Postmodern Jukebox Christmas Show

 

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Last night a friend and I went to the Strathmore to see Postmodern Jukebox in concert. I saw the group perform last year and loved the show, so I knew I wanted to see this performance, too. 

Each show features different singers (I think a lot of performers are part of the broader group!), so some of these videos might not be the exact people we saw that night. But you'll get the idea! These were some of the holiday songs they featured:

Gunhild Carling was my favorite performer of the night. She could sing, dance, and
play several different musical instruments, including three trumpets at one time! Image found here.

While this show was part of their Christmas tour, they didn't only sing holiday songs. My favorite was Gunhild Carling's version of Madonna's Material Girl. The thing I like best about PMJ is how they transform modern hits into 1920's jazz songs, and she did that perfectly.

I also really enjoyed Caity Gyorgy's version of Taylor Swift's Love Story (this is her in the video):

Sarah Potenza has a very strong voice, and she brought it with her own rendition of Huey Lewis' song The Power of Love:

And it was not until I heard PMJ sing this song that I learned the lyrics were "Radioactive" (I thought he was singing "Ready to rock you" this whole time!)

Their final encore song was Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass, which was really fun:

And one of the best parts about seeing PMJ is not only the singing, but the tapdancing! Check it out:

This is the tap dancer we saw last night (I think his name is Jabu Graybeal):

Such a fun show. As long as they keep coming to this venue, I'll keep buying tickets!

Kelsea Ballerini Concert

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I had never seen Kelsea Ballerini in concert before, and I like a lot of her songs, so I wanted to see her live. I waited to buy tickets at the Anthem box office to save costs on fees, but I should have waited until the day of: the show never sold out, and general admission tickets were selling for only $20, when I had paid $50 for the same thing just a few weeks earlier. AND I had such a hard time finding someone to go with me! My go-to country concert friend had to work, but I still bought the tickets knowing he couldn't make it. That may have been a mistake: he's my only friend who likes country music as much as I do! Eventually I did have a friend begrudgingly agree to go with me. I didn't realize how hard it would be to give away a ticket for free!

After my friend and I grabbed drinks, we stood pretty close to the stage and waited for the show to start. Georgia Webster was the opener, and we both liked her! She sort of had Taylor Swift vibes, in that she's young, singing about young love experiences, and she's a pretty blonde (go figure). She had great stage presence and was working the crowd, which I thought was impressive given her age (she just recently graduated from high school!). Here are some of her songs:

X's (about going to a club underage and having X's on her hands)

Tell Your Mom

Push & Pull

Not Sayin'

Tattoos

After last week's Maddie & Tae concert (read that blog post here), I thought this performance would have two openers. But Kelsea went right afterward! Of course the stage production was great, with three big screens showing lots of cool and colorful images, and a rising platform in the back (which was very helpful for anyone having a hard time seeing over tall people). And her costume changes were great; so many sparkles! Here are some photos I took over the night:

Here are some songs she played that I had never heard before (but my friend and I really liked them):

You're Drunk, Go Home

If You Go Down (I'm Going Down Too) (This song made me think of The Chicks' Goodbye Earl song.)

Love is a Cowboy (Speaking of the Chicks, she merged this song with a ballad of Cowboy Take Me Away, which I thought was very well done!

I Quit Drinking

What I Have (I love songs about gratitude and thankfulness!)

Graveyard (She said that with so many albums and songs, she can't perform all of them. So for this tour of ten cities, she was going to pick one random song to perform at each location, and this was the one chosen for this show.)

And here are some of her songs that are my particular favorites:

Peter Pan (This song came out when I was still online dating, and it resonated with me: many men in DC have Peter Pan syndrome because they never want to grow up!)

Heartfirst

Yeah Boy

Half of My Hometown (I do like this song, but it's been a little overplayed on the radio recently...)

Miss Me More

Love Me Like You Mean It

Dibs

Homecoming Queen (She performed this as a duet with Georgia.)

Legends (I assume this was her final encore song, but my friend and I left a bit early.)

My friend said she had a good time, so I'm glad she gave this concert a chance! I don't think I have any other country concerts coming up. I was hoping to go to Sunday in the Country, but I think it's going to rain, so that wouldn't be any fun. But I will be going to a few plays, so stay tuned for more blog posts about my theater adventures!

Maddie & Tae Concert

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I waited more than two years for this Maddie & Tae concert because of COVID-19! The original tickets were for June 2020, and I didn't end up going until this past weekend. Jeez! But I'm glad it finally happened. Plus, I hadn't been to the Baltimore Soundstage is years, so I was excited to go back there (not that the venue is great, but it is small, so more intimate). 

The whole line-up was women, so I was excited about that! The first opener was Abbey Cone. I'd never heard of her before, but she looks the part: very pretty, and she had the best make-up of the night! It was just her and her guitar up there, so that was pretty cool. Here are two of her songs:

Rhinestone Ring (This was my favorite song of hers!)

Hate Me

Next up was Sacha, who I have the feeling wants to be the Beyoncé of country music. I didn't like her set as much because I could barely hear her over the drums. This may not have been her fault: the mix might not have been right, and her mic (which she had covered in lipstick by the end of her show) wasn't loud enough. I thought the best part of her performance was the Taylor Swift medley she did! But, not a bad way to engage a room full of young, female, country music fans, so she's smart in that way. Here are a few videos:

Pretty Please (This is actually the only song of hers I remember...)

Cheers

We Did

Then we had a long wait before the main act came on. But the crowd was so excited when they finally did! I wish I had listened to more Maddie & Tae songs before going to the concert (I always say I'll do that and then never do), but they did sing a few songs I had forgotten about. And they sang all the songs I love, so that was great! Here's a good mix:

Girl in a Country Song (their first big hit!)

Fly

Through the Madness (also had never heard this song before!)

Trying on Rings (so romantic!)

Bathroom Floor (I had never heard this song before, but I liked it!)

Woman You Got (One of their newer songs, so I don't know it as well, but it is fun!)

Die from a Broken Heart (This was their last encore song. I'm surprised they ended the show with such a sad song. But it's probably one of their most popular hits: all women can relate to this!)

Just a great girl-power country night! Next up: Kelsea Ballerini at the Anthem on Wednesday night! Stay tuned for that blog post!

Play Review: "Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story'

 

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I love seeing plays at Theater J at the Edlavitch Jewish Community Center in Washington, D.C., and while I didn't buy an official subscription this year, I did buy individual tickets for the entire season. The first show for this year is called, "Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story." Who doesn't love a good love story, especially one based on a true story? I was excited to see what I thought would be a romantic play.

However... this show was anything but, unfortunately. The narrator, or "the Wanderer" as he is called (played by Ben Caplan), is a dirty-minded, abrasive, anthropomorphized cartoon character. I thought he was so unlikeable, and then I had to hear him sing (nearly all on his own) for 90 minutes?! He reminded me of that creepy neighbor or uncle who is always talking about inappropriate things (for example, he went on for several minutes listing euphemisms for sex. Three or four, okay, we get the joke. But rambling off for that long? It wasn't funny, and it certainly didn't add anything to the story). And every once in a while he would curse, which was completely unnecessary. Later he explained that this was to bring the audience to modern times, but I think he should give his audience more credit: we can figure out how to extrapolate a refugee story from the early 1900's and bring it into the 21st century without you having to say "fuck" or "shit." It's a like a comedian who depends on four-letter words to make a joke funny: it doesn't work.

Now, I don't know how much Caplan shaped the character and how much he played the role as a baffoon-like Willy Wonka (A top hat and purple coat? Really?) with guidance from the playwright, Hannah Moscovitch, or the director, Christian Barry. This story is based on the love story of Moscovitch's grandparents; if she gave the OK to have this terrible caricature of God (yes, he not only plays the narrator but also God), she should realize that her ancestors would not be proud of this telling of their story. I was disgusted and embarrassed, and I think they would be, too. 

One redeeming part of this play was how talented the musicians were. Shaina Silver-Baird and Eric Da Costa (who play the two lovers) of course acted in the production, but they also sang and played musical instruments. Silver-Baird played the violin, and Da Costa played the clarinet, saxophone, and learned the flute just for this show! And while on stage, Jamie Kronick, the bearded drummer wearing an old-fashioned hat looked Amish, but after the show he revealed his thick head of rock star hair; he even said he got the gig because he played in Caplan's band! And Graham Scott, who composed some of the music for the show, played the keyboard and accordion; he didn't even know how to play the left-hand part of the accordion until he signed on to do this play. Such amazing talent!

I definitely liked the final third of the show best, and that turn-around came for me with the Lullaby song. All of the parts in the play about family were so touching, even when they were devastating. Chaim, the husband, lost his entire family during the Pogroms in Romania. His father did survive the brutal attack on the family, but once he realized his wife and three of his sons had died, he killed himself. Chaim looked forward to having a life in Canada because there was nothing left for him in the Old Country. Chaya, the wife, lost her first husband during their trek to Russia, and because of her malnutrition during that exodus, she could not nurse her first baby, who died as well. When the two characters do marry and have a child, their prayer for their son Samuel to live to be an old man is what all parents should want for their children: long lives. I did appreciate those very personal, touching moments of the story. I just wish they had been at the forefront of the storytelling itself, rather than leaving it up to a weird, à la Cat in the Hat crackpot.

Read my blog reviews of other, BETTER plays I've seen at Theater J:

Talley's Folly

Love Sick (probably my favorite!)

Becoming Dr. Ruth

Compulsion, or the House Behind

*And I never wrote a blog post about seeing the play "Tuesdays with Morrie," but that one was also very good!