Jul 21, 2010

cherries, yarn & tagada


summer is when you eat cherries from the neighbor yard


when you dry lavender & make lavender spindles (like my great grandma used to do - tutorial here)


when you feel like working on some colorful cotton yarn (bought here) i can't wait till i have this shawl on my shoulders !


when you feel like experimenting on baking candies. i was talking to her the other day about the  tagada strawberries, a candy that she said can be found in the US (and probably everywhere in europe ?) i decided to work on my own gluten free cupcake recipe and came up with a fabulous one i 'd like to share here :

:: tagada strawberries GF cupcakes ::

125 grams white rice flour
50 grams ground almonds
2 1/2 tsp of GF baking powder
150 grams of tagada strawberries
1 egg
20 grams melted butter
12,5 centilliters buttermilk

melt the tagada strawberries with buttermilk & butter
let cool 2 or 3 minutes & add the beaten egg
add slowly the liquids to the dry mix (flour, almonds, baking powder) -- don't overmix
pour in paper cups and add a tagada strawberry to each before you put it in a 180°C/350°F oven for 25 minutes or until golden. there's no need for any extra sugar, candies are enough.

even if you're not on a GF diet, this is really a good one both adults and children will enjoy (baking & eating) !

22 comments:

  1. It all looks so good, Valerie. We picked cherries in our garden today as well.

    And you are a sweetheart - I have been looking for a way to make those lavender things for years now! Thanks a lot for the link. :))

    Have a lovely summer...

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  2. Lovely pictures! That pink and red looks so nice. And those cherries too! We're going to go to pick some strawberries tomorrow,can't wait for it!
    Wish I had some lavender too,it would be nice to try to make those spindles..

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  3. What a beautiful post!! From those yummy cherries, that I love, but can never find...the season is so short, to the red slippers....the luscious shawl to be and those little cakes that I am sure taste divine!!! and the lavender, that although gives me a headache...looks so pretty with the ribbons you chose.
    M :)

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  4. thank you Ulla & niina . they're easy to make. as for me I use 13 stems for one spindle. you have to cut laneder and use it immediately when the stems are still green or they will break when you try to bend them.

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  5. marilyn : funny that you say that because as much as i like real lavender, i'm sensitive (the bad way) to everything made/processed with lavender (bath oil...)

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  6. Beautiful photos and delicious looking recipe! I can't wait to try them.

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  7. Tes photos me réjouissent et me font du bien. Ce châle va être magnifique, Valérie! Bel été à toi.
    xoxo

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  8. My dream is to have a big bunch of lavender and to put it in the linencloset. But here in Finland, lavender doesn´t grow so big.

    Your recipe looks good, I think tomorrow is baking day :)

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  9. nice red & purple color theme :)
    OK, now i need to hunt down those strawberry candies at the store & try baking with them...
    happy end of the week to you !

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  10. valerie your pics are amazing! I love visiting you & reading your stories.

    thanks for the sweet words, really appreciate them.

    hugs to you

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  11. beautiful red & rosy thoughts and plans...
    great stuff!

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  12. Thank's for everything you show us... always great!!!!!
    Last MCI is really cute, don't you?
    Besos

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  13. mmm. cherries. i wish i had a neighbor who let me pick their cherries!

    thank you for the link to the tutorial on the lavender spindles! i adore them! now if only my lavender would grow and make flowers!! ;)

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  14. j'adore la première photo et c'est drôle depuis hier je suis dans le délicieux parfum des brins de lavande récoltés chez mon papa et qui vont finir en petits sachets de lin polonais je pense ...

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  15. ahhhh summer-I love it too. Your photos are lovely and inspiring.

    Tina

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  16. Such a beautiful post. I've never seen those lavender spindles but they are gorgeous! I'd love to make one. Perhaps I should grow it.

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  17. well then, i hope you are getting better soon, yeah? thank you for your lovely comment. x

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  18. mmm thank you for this! i´ve given up white flour and am always looking for new recipes to try because i do love my cake:) hope you are feeling better! hugs!

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  19. I like the theme of red
    Come see/hear my rock n roll giveaway!

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  20. quelle belle série encore une fois. La première photo est magnifique! Et ces petits fuseaux de lavande sont si jolis!

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  21. I think your site is wonderful and we read the same magazine I see - I will add you to my list of blogs on my site. I too make these spindles of lavender in England we call them Lavender Wands.

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  22. I had to go look those up, I thought they might be unedo strawberries but that didn't seem right. we do have Haribo Berries http://www.germandeli.com/042238705098.html which are some of my very favorite candies, not sure if they're exactly the same but so delicious!!!

    and the cherries -- we have ones here that look like that, Rainier cherries, that are ABSOLUTELY my favorites. they have a very short fruiting season, it's usually only a few weeks you can find them every year. you're lucky to have some right next door :]

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