Grapefruit Soda... or Cocktail?

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Grapefruit Soda... or Cocktail?

Grapefruit Soda

Grapefruit was a "new food" discovery for me this year. It's truly a shame I've gone twenty-three years of my life without enjoying the tartness of a ripe grapefruit, but at least this matter has been remedied. Now I can't leave the grocery store without a few of these in tow. I can often be spotted in the kitchen with a small spoon in hand, digging into a grapefruit, and spraying juice on everything in a two foot vicinity.

No one warned me I'd need to shower after breakfast.

Grapefruit Soda

Invariably, when you eat enough grapefruits, the wheels begin spinning on what you can create with them (or maybe that's just me). When the idea to make grapefruit soda popped into my head, I actually thought it was an original idea. A true inspiration sent down from the grapefruit gods. After excitedly going on about it to my boyfriend, he casually pointed out that grapefruit soda has existed since the dawn of soda's time.

Apparently I'm not as well versed in soda as I thought.

Grapefruit Soda

Despite this disheartening news, I set out to make my own version of grapefruit soda regardless. Using the juice from a couple grapefruits and a lemon, I combined it with lemon-lime soda to add fizz and balance out the tartness of the citrus. Oh, is it dreamy. After a long day at work, I added a shot of vodka to the mix and it turned the simple grapefruit soda into a fun cocktail.

It's light, just tart, and lip-smackingly refreshing.

Grapefruit Soda Grapefruit Soda

This grapefruit soda is simple to make, but produces a result that outshines anything from a can. The grapefruit flavor is lovely and pronounced, with the lemon to add just the right zing. It can be kept as a soda to share with children during sunny afternoons or made into a brilliant cocktail to enjoy as the sun begins to set. Garnish with lemon slices and ice for a drink that tastes of a cool breeze.

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Hot Cross Buns

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Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns

A few years ago I was visiting Prague with a friend. The Czech Republic was the second to the last leg of our month-long backpacking trip through Europe and, by the time we arrived, we were harried and overwrought. Early mornings and late nights for weeks on end had left us exhausted to tears, but there was a whole world to see so we couldn't justify waking up later than eight in the morning.

We saw castles and churches. We walked the city in every direction with a tour guide who would certainly win the gold medal in speed walking. Yet, I remember very little of what we learned and, without the photographs as proof where I'd been, I'm not sure I'd remember even that.

There is, however, one thing about Prague I will not ever forget.

Hot Cross Buns Hot Cross Buns

It happened while my friend and I were walking back to the hostel the next night, after a wasted day of blissfully napping in public parks and eating sausage. Rounding a corner on a small, cobblestone street, I came across a sight I will certainly never see again. We passed a man.

Then, two. Then, three.

Looking ahead, we both stopped dead in our tracks, dumbfounded. It was as if every eligible bachelor within a few years of my age was walking down this particular street at precisely the same time. There were at least one hundred men. A quiet congregation, there was no clear message as to who they were or where they were going.

I stood, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, in the center of the street. One hundred men were there, it seemed, just for me.

Hot Cross Buns Hot Cross Buns

It took quite some time after the last of the men had rounded the corner before my friend and I could regain control over ourselves. We looked at each other in disbelief. I wondered aloud if that had really just happened, wanting to pinch myself as if I were in a dream. I wanted to follow them back around the corner to verify they were real and not a fantastic hallucination. Though we hadn't been searching, we had unwittingly found all of the men.

To this day, their presence and purpose remains a mystery. A truly unusual life moment, I can't help but want to dig deeper, to find meaning (though there certainly will never be one). It was Prague's beautiful gift to me, as if it knew that I needed a reason to remember the city outside of my photographs.

Though these hot cross buns may not be as unforgettable as a parade of men, they surprised me. I knew of hot cross buns for as long as I can remember—from nursery rhymes and grocery store shelves—but I never foresaw they would taste this good. As a baker, I love to get caught off guard by something unexpected and these did just the trick.

Hot Cross Buns

These Hot Cross Buns are soft and sweet. I used the base from my honey rolls, opting for milk instead of water to create a more tender bread. Sweetened with honey, a hint of orange, and a handful of raisins, these buns are surprisingly remarkable. Though sacrilege in some circles, I used a cream cheese icing to make the traditional crosses simply because I think the tartness of the cheese complements the sweetness of the bread better. Make these rolls for those you love—it's far too easy to eat more than your fair share in one sitting.

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Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pies

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Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pie

The history of the whoopie pie is surprisingly sordid, full of drama and general confusion. With an unusual name like whoopie pie, it seems destined to have an interesting story behind it. Whoopie pies are essentially two soft chocolate cookies sandwiched together with a sweet filling. Interestingly, whoopie pies were originally known as "gobs," a name I find both humorous and nondescript (Hey, do you want a gob?). I have no trouble understanding why the name was changed somewhere along the way.

Nevertheless, the true controversy begins with the origin. Depending on which source you choose to believe, a very different tale will be spun. Everybody wants a piece of the (whoopie) pie.

Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pie Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pie

First, we'll hear out the food historian. In medieval Germany, long before electricity and marshmallow fluff, they were making cake-like pastries with filling over roaring fires—the ancestors to the whoopie pie. This pastry was passed down over generations, eventually reaching the United States and finding a home with the Pennsylvania Amish. The Amish women, in turn, would make these pies as a treat for their husbands and children. Legend has it, when they would spot these chocolate pies packed neatly in their lunch pails, they would let out a whooopie! with a shout.

Thus, the whoopie pie was born.

Maine also claims ownership over the pie, claiming it was invented within their state lines. Rumor has it that a woman working in a bakery in the 1920s ended up with extra batter after whipping up some cakes. Instead of tossing it out, she scooped spoonfuls of the batter onto a baking tray and popped them into the oven. When they were done, she stuck the small cakes together with leftover frosting and created the first ever whoopie pie. While there is little to no evidence to this tale (the proof was inconveniently burned in a bakery fire), it didn't sway Maine's steadfast belief, especially when they legally made it the state treat.

Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pie

Boston also claims ties to the whoopie pie, but their evidence is even less substantial than Maine's or Pennsylvania's. Boston claimed the first whoopie pie recipe appeared in a cookbook created by one of their own bakeries in the 1930s. It didn't. Though the same bakery went out of business in the 1970s, the name of the bakery was painted long ago on the side of the building and still remains, though faded. If you ask the right people, they'll wistfully recall there was another sign painted below that read "Whoopee!" Pies—proof of whoopie pie's rightful heritage.

Whether you choose to believe the food historians in Pennsylvania, the governmental body of Maine, or the nostalgic patrons of long gone bakery in Boston, the real heritage of the whoopie pie doesn't really matter in the long run. The important part is that the whoopie pie is here to stay.

Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pie

These Chocolate Marshmallow Whoopie Pies are soft, sweet, and filled with a hidden history. Two soft chocolate cake-like cookies are sandwiched together with a marshmallow creme. Since I don't believe in the one purpose whoopie pie pans, these can be easily made on a standard baking sheet. Whoopie pies are very similar to a soft Oreo cookie (and are equally at home with a glass of milk). Give these a try, if only to taste the hints of its sordid and surprisingly complicated past.

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