Cleaning out your pantry

For my last blog I wanted to do it on something everybody enjoys and that would be food. I know we do not all have our own house and have our own pantry that contains all the junk we desire but sometimes our parents don't clean up very well either. They typically let things get messy on a rare occasion and you have to do the adult thing and clean up the child's mess. Not saying parents are like kids but, we all have our moments. . . Right? Well anyways, my pantry was getting out of hand and it was so bad things would just fall out without anybody being around (I promise we do not have ghost!). With this being the case, of course I took action and did a little cleaning up and this is probably a real easy job for anyone. It's an effortless process and can even be fun because you get to eat all the junk you thought was gone!

So this is what your pantry probably looks like.  ➔
This may not look terrible but you really had to dig for what you are looking for which isn't always great for the mornings you are running late. We always try to keep the shelves organized like breakfast, baking, pastas/ sauces and snack foods. As time passes we never actually put items back where they came from and kind of just throw the item in; if it falls out you get irritated and soon just smash it in crunching the chips into dust. my objective was to throw away expired items or bags of chips that were thrown in wide open. The first step was to start taking things out shelf by shelf. I went through and found items that belonged in another place and put those aside. I went ahead and started to shuffle items around and as I made my way to the top shelf, as I saw items that didn't belong in that place I took them and placed it in the correct spot. Call me crazy but being organized really can make life easier! my second step was to toss out the expired items. we ended up have just a few cereals that went over there date by a few months so, I went and recycled the box and threw away the cereal bag. (By the way, make sure to always recycle!) My final step was to put everything into place and put items downstairs in our garage with other foods that don't really have to be upstairs. (It's always nice to have extra space!)

                                           
The final result! It really does look a lot better and when you can see every item on the shelf it really does help you for those busy days you have to grab and go. I really like to see everything and not have to dig because this helps you notice what you have when you go grocery shopping and need items but forget to write them down for the next trip; it gives you easy access to each item and lets you know what you have.

My very last question I want to ask is: Does your guardian ever give you chores or are you someone like me who finds something messy and instantly tackles the job?

Doughnuts - Baked Raised

For my last blog post, I decided to try to make another doughnut. This time, I chose to make a baked doughnut. The recipe described the baked doughnut as "soft and light" which immediately made me want to try it out.

First, I put an egg and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer and I turned that on until everything was all mixed. Then, slowly I added in milk, yeast, salt, vanilla, and butter. Once all of those ingredients were dissolved and mixed together, I began to add flour half a cup at a time with the stand mixer on low. Then I kneaded the dough and put it in a bowl and let it sit for an hour. The hardest part for me was when the dough kept sticking to the hook in the stand mixer. As the mixer was on, the dough would stick and not mix so I'd have to go in with a spoon.

After an hour, I got the dough and rolled it out with a rolling pin so that it was 1/2 an inch thick. I cut the doughnut shape with the top of a cup because I didn't have a doughnut cutter but it still worked. Then I let the cut out doughnuts sit for 20 minutes to double in size and then I popped them in the oven for about 7-8 minutes. They came out golden brown.

The doughnuts with the maple glaze on top, 

Making this batch of doughnuts was much easier for me this time around and that might be because it's not my first time making them. I had the experience of making the doughnuts from last time which helped out. The doughnuts this time were smooth on top and the maple glaze stuck easily. I was pretty pleased with the results and they tasted really good! 

What do you guys think? Have you ever had something not go so well at first and when you tried it out again you improved?

Doughnuts - Maple Glaze

Maple glaze has always been another one of my favorites. So when I had found the recipe in my book, I had to try it. Just like the other glaze recipes, this one also had only 3 ingredients and was only 1 step. 

Ingredients

11/2 cups of confectioner's sugar (sifted)

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

2 tablespoons of milk or water (I used milk)

Steps

1. Place the sugar in a medium bowl and stir the maple syrup and milk to make a smooth pourable glaze. 

The confectioner's sugar and Maple Syrup

The recipe made it very clear on how to make the maple glaze. My first batch was perfect! Unlike the chocolate glaze, the maple glaze actually tasted the way it was supposed to. Sifting the confectioner's sugar also made it easier to mix all the components well together. However, I did have to add a bit more maple syrup to the glaze mix because at first the glaze tasted only like the confectioner's sugar. I added about a half a teaspoon. I loved how simple and easy it was to make this glaze, and it was delicious!

What do you guys think? Do you like maple glaze on doughnuts? Would you ever try making this?

Devil's Food Cake into Cupcakes



Devil's Food Cake Cupcakes

This recipe is used to make a cake, but I just poured the batter into some cupcake liners and popped them into the oven to make some yummy chocolate cupcakes. The recipe comes from the book, "The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book, the Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Baker" published in 2010. On page 152, the recipe requires:

• 2 1/3 cups of all purpose (plain) flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

For the frosting (I just used frosting bought from the store):

• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups heavy (double) cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

Flour, cocoa, baking powder,

baking soda, and salt mixture



First, I sifted together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one bowl and set it aside. In another large bowl, I used an electric mixer on medium speed and beat the butter until smooth. I gradually added the brown sugar into the butter and continued beating it until it turned smooth.





Butter with brown sugar

Adding in the flour mixture

I then beat in the vanilla extract and added the eggs one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. After I beat in the last egg, I added the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in two additions. I mixed them in on low speed. When I was done mixing the batter, I poured

Finished batter

Cupcakes in the oven

the batter into the cupcake tins and popped them into the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until when you poke a fork into the cupcake it comes clean. When the cupcakes were done, I took them out and let them cool for 5 minutes before I frosted them (a mixture of vanilla and chocolate frosting for the right amount of sweetness).

This baking experience has made me more knowledgeable on baking cupcakes, and it made me realize I need a lot more practice before I can master the art of making cupcakes. The cupcakes in the end turned out great, and I'm looking forward to making more favorable cupcakes.

What is your favorite flavor of cupcake/cake  flavor and would you guys ever dabble in the baking world?



 

A lot on her plate: cheat's seeded crackers

Hello again! This past weekend, I was flipping through my cookbook looking for something I could make quick with ingredients I already had in my fridge. The recipe on page 94 looked promising, showing appetizing tortilla chips and humus which sounded easy enough to me. "Aside from being a brilliant way to use up surplus tortillas, these little belters are great with dips, and deceptively easy to make, though they give the impression you've gone to quite a lot of trouble." ( Birkett pg. 94) This recipe only required few ingredients and thankfully I had everything, not needing to go to the store like I had to do in the past.

ingredients:

- whole wheat tortillas
- various spices ( I used paprika
and another blend of spices)
- one egg
- chia seeds
-humus (optional)
special equipment:
-pastry brush

The first step was to heat the oven to 350 degrees, then make the egg wash that would be spread on the tortillas. So to start, I cracked one egg into a bowl and whisked it, along with half a tablespoon of paprika and a couple dashes of spice blend.

  

I next took 4 tortillas and cut them into eight equal triangles, then put spread them evenly on a parchment paper lined tray.

  

Taking the egg wash with a pastry brush, I brushed a layer of egg wash on all pieces of tortilla. After that, I generously sprinkled chia seeds over the top. " I've used chia seeds on top because they're packed full of omega-3 fatty acids and help aid digestion." (Birkett pg. 94)

  

Once finished with that, I repeated the steps to make another tray of the same thing. I then took the finished preparation and popped it into the oven to cook for 10-12 minutes.

  

After about 7 minutes or so, I took both trays out of the oven. I flipped all the pieces over, and reglazed them with the egg wash and chia seeds, putting them back in the oven for the remainder of time.

  

After 5 more minutes later, I finally took them out to cool before putting them in a glass tray with some humus to add.

This recipe was by far one of the easiest, so easy that I ended up making it again later in the week, along with one of my previous recipes, the kale smoothie. It's a great and healthy alternative to store bought chips, as you can modify this recipe any way you want using different spices and dips.

Q: What are your favorite kind of chips to eat? Have you ever tried making your own chips before?

Apple Bran Muffins

Unfortunately this will be my last baking adventure for a while. I have enjoyed this project very much because it allowed me to bake every few weeks without having to come up with a reason why. I enjoy baking but don't get to do it very often due to school. This last recipe was inspired by my dad. He wanted me to make him some bran muffins for a quick breakfast food. 

Buttermilk substitutes

These muffins were fairly easy to make although I did have to make a few substitutions. The original ingredients were to have "bran muffin mix and buttermilk" (Byrn 233). When I went to the store, I

could only find oat bran muffin mix so I substituted that for the bran mix. The other substitution I made was making acidified milk to substitute for butter milk "one tablespoon lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup, and add enough milk until it measures 1 cup. Stir, and let sit for five minutes before using." (epicurious.com). I opted to make the acidified milk instead of buying buttermilk because I did not need more than about 2 cups of the buttermilk since I decided to double the recipe.

Ingredients

As I mentioned I had doubled this recipe since the original said it only made "6-7 muffins" (Byrn 233). I doubled this recipe thinking it would give me 12-14 muffins but instead got 28 muffins! I was really surprised since that was close to triple of the original recipe. As I was looking back at my cookbook I found why this might have happened, I had used two boxes of muffin mix which totaled to about 28 ounces of muffin mix. In order to stick with the double recipe I would have only needed one box since the original recipe only called for one seven ounce box of muffin mix.

Finished product! They were so good I would sometimes eat them for snack

Question: What is your favorite breakfast food?

Byrn, Anne. Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor. New York, Workman Pub., 2005. 

Stockwell, Anna. "The Best Buttermilk Substitutes." Epicurious, Conde Nast, 27 Feb. 2015, 

     www.epicurious.com/ingredients/substitute-buttermilk-baking-article.

Making apple fritters

Fritelle de mele ~ Italian name

Today I made apple fritters which is basically fried apples.

The book describes the process of making fritters generally as: "Make them of any of the batters directed for pancakes by dropping a small quantity into the pan, or to make the plainer sort, put pared apples or lemons sliced or currants into the batter. Any sweetmeats or ripe fruit may be made into fritters." (Grazia, 217).

What this means: Fritters can be made by dipping things into a pancake like batter (fruits, or meats) and then frying them like you would pancakes.

The ingredients needed: I like this recipe because it involves gold delicious apples, which are my favorite. The rest of the ingredients are pretty easy to find.

Making the fritters: The first step is to make a pancake batter with the milk, flour, eggs, sugar, pinch of salt and possibly rum. My family doesn't have rum and my dad would not buy any so I didn't use any. However, I doubt it made a big difference. 

Next it was time to peel 4 golden delicious apples, and cut them into 1/4 inch chunks. I just left them how my apple cutter cut them, because later I tried a batch with thin slices and thick slices and the thicker ones were better.

Then you could start immersing the apples into the batter, but not fry them yet. I would recommend only cutting up 3 apples because the batter barely covered them all with me doing 4.

After that, it was time to fry the apples in the batter. This is done by making a pan of vegetable oil into a simmer, and the oil is crucial. This is basically just like making pancakes, but it may splatter everywhere (and burn!!) so I didn't take pictures during this part.

Lastly, once the apple fritters had cooled down it was time to add confectioners sugar and cinnamon. That is optional, but I really liked the combination because it tasted like apple pie.

Final result: Overall I liked the recipe, and it turned out enough. Some fritters tasted like apple pie and others tasted like pancakes. This makes a LOT of fritters, which isn't exactly the healthiest. I probably wouldn't make this again, because it is easier and healthier to just eat the apples plain. It was fun to try though.

Question: Have you ever fried things other than potatoes? How do you think it tasted? What spice would you add?

Citation: Barilla, Academia. Italian Desserts and Pastries: Delicious Recipes for 100 Authentic Sweets. Vercelli: White Star, 2014. Print.

Cookies n' Cream Cupcakes

I remembered my mom baking these for my birthday when I was in elementary school, and I also remembered loving them because they were so delicious and creamy. I was really excited when I found this recipe in this cookbook.

Cupcake batter

While I was making these cupcakes I discovered just how hard it is to split an Oreo cookie. According to the cookbook you were supposed to "Count out 12 Oreos and separate the top and bottom wafers. Make sure each has some of the icing on it" (Byrn, page 136). I found it very difficult to get half of the creamy filling on each wafer half. While attempting this I ended up breaking several of the wafer halves because I was trying to put the icing on the half. In the end I swapped out the broken wafers for whole ones since I knew that I had to crush Oreos later on. My solution to getting the cream on each wafer was to spread the cream with a knife on the empty half.

Frosting the cupcakes

Buttercream frosting ingredients

This time when I made these cupcakes I waited a day before frosting them. I did this in part because it was late when I finished baking them but also because I didn't want to clean the mixing bowl that night so I could make the frosting. I didn't want to wait for the cupcakes to cool off before placing them in a container to insure that they stayed moist so I looked to Anne Byrn for advice. She suggests "If you are not going to frost the cupcakes within an hour, drape a clean, light kitchen towel (linen and cotton are best) over the cupcakes so they don't dry out" (Byrn, page 14). Draping the towel over the top of the cupcakes worked really well because they were still really moist the next day when I frosted them. After I had finished frosting the cupcakes I started putting the crushed Oreos on top of the cupcakes.

Finished product!

The cupcakes turned out great! I was especially excited that these turned out so well because I brought some to school to celebrate my friend's birthday. My friends loved them so much one of them asked me to bring them another one the day after! Another friend liked the cupcake I gave her so much she asked me to give her the recipe. I am so glad that all of my friends and family loved these cupcakes just as much as I did.

Question: What kind of topping do you like on your cupcake? What would you have done to keep your cupcakes moist? 

Lemon Butter Muffins

I got the inspiration for these muffins because I was bored one day over break and decided I wanted to bake. I didn't want to have to ask my parents to take me to the store so that I could get ingredients, so I was flipping through my cookbook to find a recipe that I had all of the ingredients for at home. I found this lemon butter muffin recipe and looked at the ingredients, I had everything except for the lemon zest that it called for. I tried to find a different recipe but couldn't find anything that beat out the lemon muffins. Since I didn't have the lemon zest, I decided that I would go to the Internet and do a quick Google search to see if there were any substitutes I could use. According to the Better Homes and Gardens website I could substitute 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice for 1 teaspoon of lemon extract.

I really wanted to do these muffins because my brother likes sour food such as warheads or lemons. Since he loves sour food so much I'm really happy with how these came out because they were tart. Everyone in my family loved the muffins and told me how delicious they were. The author was definitely right when in her description she wrote, "I prefer the pucker-up quality of a double the dose of lemon." (Byrn, 246).

My muffins glazed and ready to be eaten!

I think the one thing that would have made these better is if I had used real lemon zest instead of the lemon juice substitute. Not only would the zest have made the muffins more tart in my opinion, but it also would have made for less work. The book says "Add the egg, milk, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest" (Byrn, 247). This was hard to mix together because of the added liquid, I totally though just looking at my batter that this recipe was going to be a flop. Things started looking up after I added the flour. The dough looked significantly less like liquid. When they came out of the oven they were perfectly done. I was really shocked since I thought that I would be blogging a fail. Overall these muffins turned out really well considering I did it all without much previous planning.

My question for you is:

Do you like tart/sour food? If you made these muffins and had no lemon zest what would you have done?

Byrn, Anne. Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor. New York, Workman Pub., 2005.  

Red Velvet Cupcakes

This break I had some time to bake, and so I decided I was going to make myself some birthday cupcakes! So, I started flipping through my book looking for a recipe that I wanted to make and share with my friends.

While I was making these red velvet cupcakes, I discovered that sometimes you need more than one mixing bowl ready. I had to hand wash my mixing bowl and several other items while the cupcakes baked in the oven so that I could start making my cream cheese frosting. I also learned that sometimes it's better to have leftover batter, because I accidentally filled a few of my cupcakes too full and they overflowed a little in the oven while baking. I'm glad that my mom has always told me to put muffins, cookies, cupcakes, etc. in for 1-2 minutes less than what the directions say. When I put these cupcakes into the oven the book says "Bake the cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 16-20 minutes." (Byrn) but because I listened to my mom I put them in for 15 minutes instead and they came out perfectly done with just 15 minutes.

My cupcakes all frosted and done

I followed the original recipe exactly, not substituting or changing anything like I did with my blueberry banana muffins. The only thing I did differently from the book was that I didn't put a chocolate bow on top because I ran out of time. I was really impressed with how good and moist these cupcakes were. If I did this again I would like to try putting the chocolate bows on top of the cupcakes. I think that the cupcakes looked nice without the bows, but it would make them look more ready for the holidays and different from regular cupcakes. The book also suggested "If you don't want to pipe out 24 bows, you can easily pipe out Christmas trees, Stars of David, or other holiday symbols...You can also keep the frosting white and sprinkle it with some white sugar sprinkles to give it a snowy effect" (Byrn). I think these are cool suggestions that I would try next time I make these cupcakes.

My question to you is: what decoration would you put on cupcakes to make them look holiday ready?

Byrn, Anne. Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor. New York, Workman Pub., 2005.  

Wretched Flavor Combination

For my second cheesecake I wanted to do something fun. In the spirit of Christmas, I decided to combine two classic holiday flavors: Eggnog and peppermint! (On a side note, I don't actually enjoy either of the two but I wanted to be FESTIVE.)

Eggnog Cheesecake

with Candy Canes

So as you might be able to tell if you actually read this, there is no cooking instructions, which turned out to be quite a problem. I had to google other instructions, but I couldn't find the exact recipe, making the cooking time a bit off. 

Dilemma 1: Baking

After baking the cheesecake, you are always supposed to leave it in the oven when it is turned off for an hour. "This step and the two that follows allow for the cake to cool to a room temperature gently, preventing cracking" (Schulman 133). By letting the cheesecake cool down gradually and keeping it untouched while it settles, the surface of the cheesecake won't be as cracked. I tried to do this and it worked, I guess. After leaving the cheesecake the off oven for an hour, the cheesecake had no gaping crevices in it. In my last cheesecake, there was a big ol' crack on the side. However, the state of the surface of the cheesecake was not really improved. Cheesecakes look very different while they bake compared to after they are cooled off. When I checked to see (and guess) if the cheesecake was done or not, it looked fine, but an hour later after it was cooled, it obviously was not fully cooked. By that point, reheating the oven and cooking it more would not improve the looks of my cheesecake. On the bright side, the surface of the cheesecake wasn't cracked, just deflated and soggy.

My first cheesecake. Notice that big crack on the left side?

Before dumping on Candy Cane dust to cover up the grossness. Notice there are no wide splits?

 Dilemma 2: Cutting

The book I read explains that to get the most smooth cut with even sides, it is best to freeze the cheesecakes before cutting them (Schulman 76). After keeping the cheesecake in the fridge for a few hours, I tried to cut a slice of the cheesecake. The thing was still warmish when I tried to cut it, and it fell apart very easily. Taking the book's advice, I put the cheesecake in the freezer overnight. My knife got stuck a couple times but it cut way more cleanly. The slice of cheesecake was way more stiff (duh it's frozen) and it even tasted better. The advice from my book greatly improved the presentation of my slice and even the texture.

Cut while it was room temperature. Look at that floppy soggy piece of disappointment moistened with my tears.

Cut after being frozen in my freezer and completely untouched (because after one tiny nibble my family decided they had tried enough). Can you say aesthetic?

Overall: Maybe some things can be too festive. Combining eggnog and peppermint was not the best idea, especially because adding the chunks of candy canes before baking made the surface icky and look like puke.
Pros:

• Ummmm
• Thinking...
• The crushed up candy canes on the top looked good?
• The graham cracker crust tasted decent (the best part!)

Cons (Prison Break got me like):

• Smelled putrid
• Tasted nasty
• Made me gag
• It was so under-cooked
• Really grainy
• Looked gross without extra candy-canes on the top
• Wretched soggy texture

#NoMakeup #NoFilter #Like4Like #Follow4Follow

Question:

What is your favorite holiday flavor or food?
Would you enjoy some eggnog peppermint cheesecake? I have plenty of extra...

---

Schulman, Maureen, Tara Lane, Diana Moles, and Jolene Worthington. The Eli's Cheesecake Cookbook. N.p.: Eli's Cheesecake, 2015. Print.

Posted by Kierra Long

Making lady fingers

Making Lady Fingers

(Savoiardi in Italian)

Today I made Lady fingers, which is described as "rounded, oblong shaped light cookies"

 

This is the professionally made lady fingers from my book, which one thing to learn is not to get discouraged by the outcome of your products versus those of  master chefs.

Included within the book is the history of Lady fingers:
"Lady fingers were created by the chefs of the Dukes of Savoy to celebrate the visit of the king of France. Despite their Piedmontese origin, ladyfingers are often found in the artisan confectionery traditions of all the regions of Italy that were once under Savoy influence. Thanks to their crisp, spongy texture, they are also used in creamy dessert recipes."
(Grazia, Mario, and Academia Barilla. Italian Desserts and Pastries. Vercelli: White Star, 2014. Print.)

What this means: Lady fingers derived from trying to please the king of France with scrumptious desserts, but has become traditional for Italians. This shows that there is history behind recipes.

 

      Making the lady fingers:

Making this recipe was for the most part was pretty simple. First, start by preheating the oven to 400°F, it didn't take long to prepare so heating up the oven right away was a good idea. Then you were to sift the flour and cornstarch and put it aside. In a separate bowl, you were to mix the 3 eggs and yolk and add dashes of vanilla and warm honey. To me this looked weird  because there was no flour or anything more solid yet, so the goo was not very appeasing.

1. mm cute

After that, it was time to add and mix the flour-cornstarch combo along with the lemon zest, which looked a lot better.

2. more acceptable

Then the hard part, you were supposed to take this mix and put it in an icing bag and somehow make the perfect shape on baking sheets to get the perfect cookie. This was a struggle, with the mixture shooting everywhere and not at all making perfect shapes. I definitely did not take pictures at this part because my hands were covered with icing. Maybe I'm just a spaz, but no matter how hard I tried the icing/mix would not stop coming out of both ends. #chefjenny

Side note: Before putting it in, it was recommended to put confectioners sugar so it would harden into the cookie. (Bake 10-15 minutes)
And so with the icing situation, once again the overall presentation of my cooking was not very great.  

Overall result: The book states that it should make 30 lady fingers. My attempt made about 15. This may have been due to my odd shapes and spilling of icing, but I don't think this recipe is overall accurate for average Joes. I made two batches, and slightly overcooked the first one. 10 minutes worked best for me, but that depends on ovens.  

Tastewise: It was very sweet. I like the pop of lemon zest and vanilla. I did feel a spongey texture (in the batch that wasn't overcooked haha). I did not like them as much as I thought I would, even with the sweetness they were still a little too bland, like eating a "meh" snickerdoodle. Icing could've helped, like it did with the glazed hazelnut cookies.

gotta add that cringey photo of me looking like a rat

Questions for you: What cooking struggles have you gone through? What are useful fixes? Do you think presentation is a big factor? What should I make next?

merry christmas lol - jenny

book: Barilla, Academia. Italian Desserts and Pastries: Delicious Recipes for 100 Authentic Sweets. Vercelli: White Star, 2014. Print.