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Sunday, May 31, 2009

Happy Birthday and then some!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. Yes it's getting hot and summer is on it's way and what better way to get it popping than with some homemade mint chocolate ice cream. I had made a white cake for my cousin's and son's birthday cakes and didn't want to throw out the yolks. Hmmmm what to do with 8 yolks sitting in the fridge (insert light bulb here)....ice cream. I had some Andes mint chips in the cupboard, leftover mint sprigs in the fridge and mint extract so let's do this. I adapted one of David Lebovitz's vanilla recipe's to suit my needs.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/recipes/vanilla_icecream.html

This is the link for making it without an ice cream maker
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/07/making_ice_crea_1.html

My recipe ingredients changed to:
1 2/3 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 vanilla beans
8 egg yolks
sprigs of mint
3 cups heavy cream
a few drops mint extract
1 cup Andes Mint Chips

Since I don't own an ice cream maker as of yet I had to do the manual labor(labor well worth it) to make my ice cream. If you are a mint ice cream lover this is for you. I love how you see the specks of the vanilla beans in it too.




These are the cake for the birthday kids, the party was held at the skating rink and they had a ball. This cake was a Neopolitan cake and the strawberry gave me trouble. I figured that I could just add some mashed strawberries to a white cake and it would work. NOPE, so I had to run to the store and buy a box mix at the last minute because I was going to make this cake for my son. The chocolate was the the hershey's cake on the bake of the cocoa powder. I airbrushed the color and just bought a bobble head toy as the topper.


This cake was the same chocolate as the above cake and the cupcakes were a white cake from extra batter from my son's cake. The flowers are almond bark and the Bratz plaque was freehanded on fondant.



These next few pics are just me playing around with the settings on my camera and taking pics of randomness.








ENJOY!!!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sourdough

The time has finally come for me to use that bubbly, potent smelling starter in the mason jar. I started yesterday doing the initial work of mixing, resting, folding, resting, rising in the refrigerator. If you want something scrumptious sometimes you have to be patient and wait for it to do it's thing.

This morning at around 6 I took the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter to complete the rising process. When it was time to put it in the oven this smile came over my face because I had waited long enough for the starter to ferment and then for the dough's rising.

MMMM what's that smell wafting through the house...SOURDOUGH BREAD, yayyy.

This bread was is so soft, but I'm going to try another recipe for the other starter I have to see if there is one I like better. I got this recipe from Sourdolady's blog http://www.thefreshloaf.com/blog/sourdolady.

I'm always open for other suggestions.






Tuesday, May 26, 2009

TWD-Chipster-Topped Brownies

This weeks TWD was chosen by Beth of Supplicious and even though I am not officially a member yet I couldn't help myself and had to make this chocolatey treat. My kids and I are serious chocohalics so this was a no brainer for me to decide on trying it.

The chocolate was like an orgasmic feeling in taste buds. It's amazing what chocolate can do and how it can make one feel. I loved the brownie part more than the cookie part, but all in all it was a must make again recipe. My kids and my girlfriend just loved the whole brownie.

Check out Beth's blog for the recipe http://lloydsdinnerandamovie.blogspot.com/ or better yet just buy Dorie's book Baking From My Home to Yours because you won't be sorry.















Pizza Nite


Last night was pizza night and I think I went a little crazy. I made tomato and basil


pepperoni/sweet pepper and chicken


Cheese, pepperoni, sweet peppers and broccoli


and sweet peppers and olives.



Man that pizza was good. Now I am making some chocolate goodies, pictures to come soon.


Sunday, May 24, 2009

Carton of Egg Whites

Last week I needed some egg whites for a cake and decided to buy the large carton thinking that I would use them in the allotted time of 7 days. I made SMBC to go on my cake , used some throughout the week for breakfast but still had lots left. Yesterday I decided that I would make a white cake today just to use them up, well I made the Party Cake from Dorie Greenspan's book and some Strawberry SMBC(no preserves, just extract) and still had plenty left. Well that meant breakfast for lunch.


Moral of the story is don't purchase the large carton unless you're sure you will need that much
I didn't have buttermilk, but had yogurt that needed to be used so I used that and topped it off with regular milk.

Thoughts

Sunday morning and reading the paper when I come across and article....2,207 days straight....and there is a sentence that jabbed me in the brain. I am pretty sure others before me have thought the same thing at one time or another, but this time it was my thought. How is it that an amnesiac can forget everything about their life, but they don't forget how to read, talk, walk, use the bathroom, you know those "have to do" things?

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Kitchen Pet Peeves

I have worked in the food industry for years and as you can tell I love to be in my own kitchen. I have inherited some strictness about MY kitchen from my mother, her mother, her mother's mother...well you get the idea.

The kitchen should be the place of cleanliness, if for not more than just the fact food is the resident of the space. So that being said I have a short list of things that I can't stand to be in my food sanctuary or things I don't like about some kitchens.

17. Smokers..well who am I kidding you can't even smoke in my house.
16. Animals-Unless it's dead, processed and I'm cooking it.
15. If you spill it clean it up-It's easier to clean when it's first done.
14. Opening pot/pan lids or oven doors when I'm cooking....Irks my nerves.
13. If you use my mixer you better clean it, that's an order. No stuck on mess here please!
12. Small kitchens, I know can't always help that but I need space.
11. Poor lighting(big problem with my kitchen).
10. Putting knives in the dishwater and not letting people know. Hey someone can get seriously injured.
9.An unorganized kitchen, "Mise En Place".
8. Half Dried dishes.
7. Half Washed dishes-yes I am old school and still hand wash dishes.
6. Dirty dishwater-please don't mess up my fresh water or if the water needs changing do so.
5. Dirty hands
4. Hair
3. Dirty hands
2. Hair
1. Did I mention dirty hands and hair?!!!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Fed Up!!!


I have had enough, it's time to work for myself....UUUGGHHHH!!!!


On happier notes, I made some creme fraiche and now I can use it, yayyyy.


Today is day 4 for my sourdough starter which means that in a few more days I can make some sourdough bread...mmmmm.


Thrift stores, love love love them. Homemade goodies, love love love them. Handmade gifts, say it with me, LOVE LOVE LOVE them.


Okay I'm done...lol.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Sourdough

I really love sourdough bread and decided I wanted to start making my own. A few months ago I found a starter recipe and tried it, but after a few days it started to mold so I threw it out.

Yesterday I said it's time to begin again only this time with a different starter recipe. I am only on day 2 so cross your fingers that it works because I really want to make some soon. Could you imagine a house filled with sourdough bread, pancakes, and waffles? I wonder if you could make crepes with it?

MMMM panini's and french toast, bread pudding and pb&j's....I can taste it.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

French Love, French Food

I have this love of baking. Don't get me wrong I love to cook, but baking is way at the top of the list of things you can do in the kitchen. Seeing as how next semester I will be starting French 101 and the French are known for their baked goods among other things, I figure it would be nice to learn more French cuisine.

If anyone knows of great French baking cookbooks drop a line or two.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Beer Bread











So today I was wondering if there was a way to make beer bread with yeast. You see I have made beer bread many times as a quick bread, but I wanted to try something different. Google is a wonderful thing and I found a recipe on another blogger's page...http://www.seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/.

This recipe is fantastic. I made it with the honey instead of sugar, oil instead of butter and with a stout beer.

FANTASTIC!!!!
I will post pics tomorrow after uploading them to my computer.








Sunday, May 17, 2009

Would you like a spot of tea?



My girlfriend decided that she wanted me to make her something when I got home from work Friday. After changing her mind countless times she settled on scones....orange cranberry scones. MMMMM, they reminded me of the holidays.

Thoughts of today




Today I decided that blogging will become my new THING. I usually don't like to write or type whats going on in my head because I know that I won't keep up with it. It's so much work and time for me to sit down and come up with words to convey how I'm feeling so that people can understand. We all know that written words can come across different ways to different people. Well I am going to try it out, what could I lose right?






I have been busy trying to get recipes for my new business so I can get my paperwork together to become legal. My neighbors and family will be fat butterballs before you know it...lol. I found this recipe for a Chocolate Banana cake from http://www.joyofbaking.com/ and can I tell you that this cake is awesome. A couple of people who tasted it said they couldn't taste the banana, but the majority could. This cake is so simple to make and is moist. I frosted it with Swiss Meringue Buttercream and garnished with some chocolate chips. This recipe is a keeper.