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<\/a>\n\tCandied Orange Olive Oil Cake just waiting to happen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
I have no idea why there are three oranges still hanging on my little potted Valencia Orange tree this late in May.\u00a0 Perhaps we feel guilty picking the few delicious oranges it bares each year or perhaps we just like seeing them hang there.\u00a0 Whatever the reason, there they hung this evening when we came home from work and school and tonight they would have a chance at fulfilling the measure of their creation.<\/p>\n
Truth be told, they were my second choice for the evenings activity.\u00a0 First choice was a big glass of wine.\u00a0 You see, it\u2019s been a very stressful time at work lately.\u00a0 You would think that being the principal of an elementary schools should be a bit like working at Disneyland and most of the time I would agree.\u00a0\u00a0 However, schools are not factories with precision assembly lines that routinely put out perfect mini humanoids.\u00a0\u00a0 While we have control over many of the factors that can affect a child\u2019s education, children arrive each day often carrying the weight of their world on their shoulders.\u00a0 There are too many days that I come home and think, \u201cIf only I could do more.\u00a0 If only I could adopt him or her.\u201d\u00a0 I have to be careful with those thoughts though, as we all know where they can lead!<\/p>\n
Andrew picked up on my stress on our way home; it must have been something about the way I kept snapping at him about the small stuff.\u00a0 Calm as always, he put his arm around me as we walked up to our house and said, \u201cDad, I think you should go in and pour yourself a glass of wine.\u201d\u00a0 My heard skipped a beat and he caught the sideways curious glance and quickly replied \u201cWell, you told me that wine has a relaxing effect.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s true, we had a talk about the effects of alcohol recently (we have had more than one) and we talked about the stages of consumption all the way up to where a friend of ours raised his blood alcohol level to 3.8 and was killed in a tragic car accident.\u00a0 I feel like I have been more than clear about the difference between one drink and five.\u00a0 Still, I didn\u2019t want Andrew to see me run to the bottle to distress from the day.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where those oranges came into play.\u00a0 Next best thing to a good drink?\u00a0 A good kitchen project.\u00a0 I often find myself scribbling down recipes in doctors\u2019 offices.\u00a0 This Orange Olive Oil Cake is one such recipe that has become a yearly favorite.\u00a0 It\u2019s rich, dense, and makes a great morning coffee cake.\u00a0\u00a0 I looked in the fridge and confirmed I had everything I needed.\u00a0 Farm fresh eggs, good Spanish olive oil, and those lovely oranges.<\/p>\n
This is not a difficult recipe, but it has the kind of acrobatic kitchen maneuvers that keep things interesting for me.\u00a0 It starts with having to candy the oranges.\u00a0 This can be done a day before, but I had the need to see it through to the end tonight.\u00a0 Kids are a never-finished project, but with food I get immediate satisfaction of seeing something start to finish.<\/p>\n
To candy citrus you have to boil the fruit three times.\u00a0 This not only softens the fruit enough for its final candy bath, it also cleans out any impurities.\u00a0 This works with any citrus fruit.\u00a0 You cut about a 1\/4 inch off the top and bottom of two or three fruits and then quarter them lengthwise.\u00a0 Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop the slices in and when it returns to a boil, you immediately drain the fruit and start over. (Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll give the recipe in a bit.)\u00a0 Finally, you make simple syrup with four cups of water and a cup of sugar, add the fruit and boil over medium high heat for about 45 minutes.<\/p>\n
Believe it or not, while that was going on, I threw together a surf and turf chipotle risotto.\u00a0 I literally opened up the fridge and freezer and just started grabbing.\u00a0 I know, I\u2019m a bit crazy, but it turned out so good that I had to stop Andrew from going back for a fourth portion.\u00a0 More importantly, I was feeling good about life and I hadn\u2019t even looked at a bottle of wine.<\/p>\n
After dinner, while Andrew did dishes, I was able to make the rest of the batter in just minutes.\u00a0\u00a0 I even had time to read the paper while the cake finished baking.\u00a0 Right now, I\u2019m calm and relaxed sitting on my bed writing away.\u00a0 The dishes are done and the house is filled with a warm orange and olive oil aromatherapy.<\/p>\n
The truth is that feeding Andrew is an act of love that comes back to me a hundred fold every night and in a hundred different ways.\u00a0 Sometimes it\u2019s the \u201cI love you too\u201d before bed, other times it\u2019s just sharing a light banter that lets me catch a glimpse of the man he\u2019s becoming.\u00a0 So often, it\u2019s something that he teaches me by letting me see myself through his eyes.\u00a0 Tonight, I was reminded that kids do listen but more importantly, they watch.\u00a0 Example matters.\u00a0 I\u2019m glad he didn\u2019t see me pour a glass of wine after a taxing day.<\/p>\n
However, I am thinking a sweet orange scented Moscato is going to pair nicely with my bedtime snack.<\/p>\n