Daring Bakers - March 2009 - Lasagna!!

Oh my. I love pasta. Oh my dear--- I really do enjoy it. If I could eat one food for the rest of my life? Well...that's a big commitment....but I do...REALLY love pasta!

Imagine my surprise when they revealed this month's Daring Baker's challenge as a lasagna made with hand rolled Spinach Egg Noodles! I've never made pasta from scratch before, and I was so excited to try it for the first time.

So, without further ado -

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.








The Recipe:

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagne Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)#1
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)#2
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)#3
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method
Working Ahead:
The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagne can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients:
Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish.

Cooking the Pasta:
Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagne from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Lasagne:
Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Baking and Serving the Lasagne:
Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagne. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagne rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagne, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

So.

This recipe says it takes "15 minutes to assemble" and "4o minutes cooking time". So the recipe only took an hour of my time, right? WRONG! Can you say SIX?! That's right...SIX hours! Oh, but it was so much fun!! And so worth it!

So if we look at this recipe, there are three components that I needed to prepare:
# 1 - The Hand Rolled Spinach Pasta
# 2 - The Bechemel
# 3 - Country Style Ragu


I started with the Ragu, as it would need the most time to cook.

#3 Country Style Ragu’ (Ragu alla Contadina)

Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound/450g dried pasta)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (45 mL)
2 ounces/60g pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
1 small carrot, minced
4 ounces/125g boneless veal shoulder or round
4 ounces/125g pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces/125g mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
8 ounces/250g beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)
1 ounce/30g thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup (5 ounces/160ml) dry red wine
1 &1/2 cups (12 ounces/375ml) chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups (16 ounces/500ml) milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained (3 whole tomatoes from a can)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Working Ahead:
The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu’ before using it.

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch (30cm) skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Reducing and Simmering: Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.

Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

Woo boy!
As I read through the recipe, I realized that it wasn't calling for ground meat - it called for "veal shoulder, pork loin and boneless beef chuck"? Oh my! - I would have to grind my own meat! But lo, I did not have a meat grinder. However I DID have an awesome food processor (Thanks, Mom!) that I'd used several times for pureeing - but had no idea it would function as a meat grinder!

And it sure worked swell!


As you can see...the meat that came out of my food processor looked just like...well, ground meat! Yay! It actually worked!

Add that ground meat to the veggies and pancetta sauteing in the frying pan:


Brown for a while, (a long while - like 20-30 minutes), then move on through the recipe, adding chicken broth, red wine, milk and tomatoes (umm, I forgot to take photos for these...)

And eventually, you end up with a rich ragu - oh yum. I still remember how this smelled...

Pardon me while I wipe the drool off my face.

Yeesh. Talk about good stuff!


Anyways. The Ragu had to simmer on the stove for about an hour and a half. So while it was working, I started the Spinach Egg Pasta.

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment

A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.

A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Note: although it is not traditional, Enza has successfully made pasta with a marble rolling pin, and this can be substituted for the wooden pin, if you have one.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta.

Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Note: Enza says that transparency is a crucial element of lasagne pasta and the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible. She says this is why her housekeeper has such strong arms!

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

I have absolutely no photos of me rolling the pasta. You know why? Cause it's SUPER TIRING AND TAKES FOREVER OH MY GOSH. Yeah. I don't know how people do it!

Don't get me wrong - making the dough isn't too difficult - flour, eggs, and spinach...it doesn't get much more simple. But actually rolling out the dough?!! Oh my. I now understand the importance of a pasta roller (which I hope to invest in not too long from now). I am never hand rolling pasta again! I couldn't get the dough to work for me at all. The recipe states, "the dough should be rolled as thinly as possible". Wow. I would never classify my lasagna noodles as "thin" But what can I say? I really did do the best I could!

Anyways - the noodles still tasted amazing and looked absolutely stunning. There is more made from scratch pasta in my future! Just no more hand rolled pasta.

Here's the noodles after they've been boiled for a short period of time, put in a cooling water bath, and then dried slightly - they're ready to be layered!


Such a pretty green!


So I was almost ready to put together the lasagna! Just need the bechemel.

#2 Bechamel

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons (2 ounces/60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2&2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

And that was together in a flash!

Now we're ready to put the whole thing together!

Oops - how could I forget!? Freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano.



ohhhh....I could drink this stuff.


mmm...


back to the lasagna!

So here we are all ready to go:


Ragu, Bechemel, Parmesan Reggiano, Spinach Noodles, and a casserole pan, already prepped with a little bit of Bechemel in the bottom.

You just layer Noodle, Bechmel, Ragu, Bechemel, Parmesan - and then all over again! Top the finished lasagna with some Parmesan - and you get something almost wonderful! (Though still uncooked!)

Pop it in the oven for about 50 minutes, and then you get:




YUMMM.

wow.

(Yes this picture is posted twice. Cause it's that good.)

Dinner is served!

I have to say, it was especially rewarding since I worked on it for so daggum long.

And it was a wonderful lasagna! Fresh pasta really does taste LOADS better than the store bought stuff.

Although I have to admit - I like the (American?) addition of a ricotta cheese filling as is in most lasagnas I've had. And my favorite lasagna recipe will still remain (quite honestly, probably will remain until the end of time..)
The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna: The Best Lasagna. Ever.

Thanks Daring Bakers, for an awesome challenge! Can't wait for the next one!

Also, check out the Daring Bakers brand spankin' new website!

www.thedaringkitchen.com

Daring Bakers - Feb. 2009

Woo! My first Daring Bakers Challenge! I can't believe it! Unfortunately I was unable to participate in the January challenge but I'm so glad that this month has given me no problems and I've been able to complete the challenge!
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.



For my Chocolate Valentino cake (a flourless chocolate cake that's traditionally shaped like a heart) I used some positively fabulous Callebeaut 72% cocoa Mexican chocolate (provided by the wonderful Miss Linda at Cities Cupcake Boutique!), with just a smidgen of the much more familiar milk chocolate.

The recipe consisted only of three ingredients: Chocolate, Butter, and Eggs. The eggs were separated, and the egg whites beaten to stiff peaks then folded into the cake batter. The recipe warned against over-beating the egg white because it would result in a dry cake ...and I thought I took heed, but my judgment was slightly off - because my cake was definitely way too dry. The flavor was rich and complex. I just wish the texture would have been right (more moist and less crumbly). I'll just be sure not to over beat the egg whites next time.



For the ice cream, I started with a traditional Philadelphia Vanilla Ice Cream recipe (Philadelphia style ice cream lacks eggs...which many ice cream recipes rely on). The original recipe looked something like this:

6 cups light cream
1 cup sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla

I used half and half in lieu of the light cream. I also added some French Vanilla coffee creamer to the mix. In retrospect, I would have used a little less coffee creamer, as I felt the corn syrup flavor was ultimately detrimental to the "fresh" flavor of the ice cream (I don't really know what I'm talking about...I just know that I don't like the taste of corn syrup).

My final recipe looked like this:

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
2 cups french vanilla coffee creamer
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla

I dissolved the sugar in about a cup of cream/half & half/creamer that had been heated up in the microwave. Then I dumped the whole thing in my fun Ice Cream maker that Chase got me for my birthday 2 years ago (Thanks Chase!!!). The result was a WONDERFUL smooth, creamy, light ice cream. Chase and I both agree it beats just about anything we've ever had (besides that corn syrup taste). Wow. You just gotta try it.



The final element of the challenge was to create a sauce to go over the cake/ice cream. I went with a classic caramel sauce. The only other time I've made a caramel sauce was for a salted caramel frosting. I browned the sugar until it was very dark, which lent it an almost coffee-like bitter flavor. I was determined not to brown it to that extent this time, and as such, I think I undercooked the sugar. So the caramel sauce was a little bland. Oh well! I'll get it right one of these days!

Even though my "go" at this challenge was not without it's share of mistakes, the final product elicited such comments as, "This is the best thing I've ever had!" So give it a go! You won't be sorry!

The cake recipe:

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.


Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half & half
2 cups French Vanilla creamer
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. sugar

Mix together cream, half & half, and creamer in a bowl. Pour about 1 cup of the mixture into a microwaveable bowl (I used a pyrex cup measure) and heat in the microwave 1-2 minutes (keep a watch on it and make sure it doesn't bubble over). Take it out and mix in sugar. Stir until dissolved. Stir this mixture back into the rest of the cream, half & half,and creamer and then stir in the vanilla. Freeze this in your ice cream make according to manufacturer instructions.

Caramel Sauce

3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. water
1tsp.freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. butter

Combine sugar, water and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat without stirring until deep amber in color. Once it reaches the correct color, take it off the heat and add the cream (it will bubble) and stir until smooth. Add in the butter.

yum!


Thanks Dharm & Wendy for a great challenge this month!!

Busby Love!!!

Well, last weekend, I drove up to my mother's house to pick up my 8 week old bundle of fun! Her name is Busby, and she's a beautiful morkie (half yorkshire terrier, half maltese) and she's just getting into everything!

She's absolutely adorable. She lives here now, with our other dog Gershwin (her daddy) and they just have a grand ol time!



All at once now...."Awwwww!!!"
Look at her cute floppy ears!!! and her little nose!!!!! It's so small...her nose is about the size of a pencil eraser!

hehe! I'm gonna love this girl forever! I love doggy noses!


Aww!! She's got white under her chin, and on her belly....and.....


White at the tips of her feet!!






awwww. puppy feet!! She only weighs about 1 or 2 pounds right now...but she sure is strong!




Ahh...the look of inquiry... "Can I chew that?" "How much longer do I have to sit here?" "What else can I go destroy?"

More pictures when she grows up a bit :)

In the meantime, check out her beautiful brothers!

Morkie Puppies!

(there's also a light brown female - but her picture is not on that particular listing.)

There's nothing in the world like puppies!!!

Spiritual Formation

Oh geez. Where do I start? Well, I'm reading a book right now: The Great Omission by Dallas Willard.

I hope to give a more formal review on the book later on, but I just finished reading my chapter for today - and I wanted to share some of what I was reading. I don't know what to think about it yet, other than it's extreme importance in (my) Christian spirituality.


From Page 62:
"The gospel is not just "Your sins can be forgiven." The gospel of the entire New Testament is that you can have new life now in the Kingdom of God if you will trust in Jesus Christ. Trust the whole person of Christ in everything he touches - which is everything."

"If you preach a gospel that has only to do with the forgiveness of sins - you will be as we are today: stuck in a position where you have faith over here and obedience and abundance over there, and no way to get from here to there." (Willard goes on to state that the bridge to get from here to there is discipleship, and the church does not do a good job of teaching us how to be disciples and walk with Christ. Too often, it's how to "save souls".)

Page 66
"What transforms us is the will to obey Jesus Christ from a life that is one with his resurrected reality day by day, learning obedience through inward transformation."

Colossians 3:5-17

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^[a] 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Verse 17 illustrates the whole-life nature of our spiritual formation in Christ.

My summary of this: (I think my passage choices are just a little disjointed and difficult to understand..I'm sure the only reason I understand it is because I just read it.)

A. Christians are unaware that they are able to live an abundant life in Christ...right now. We are more often than not taught that our reward for trusting in Christ is given to us after we die (heaven).
B. Therefore, many Christians are unfulfilled in their spirituality, and the full implications of a Christian life (on ourselves, our friends, family and our community) are never realized.
C. The solution is to become an obedient disciple of Christ.

Well, I'm still chewing all this over. Just wanted to share what I was thinking about! (Any thoughts anyone may have are more than welcome, and will be very helpful, I'm sure!)

Cutesy Cakes!

The Adventures of Emily's Cupcake Ministry

I believe that one aspect of ministering to the people around you is to share your God-given talents with them. And one of my strongest talents is baking. Not that I'm incredibly good at it - but I love spending my time baking, and I do know my way around a mixer! I'm oh so happy when I am able to share my baked goods with those around me!

Tonight I had the privilege of baking cupcakes for an event hosted by The Restoration House. I baked up several different flavors of mini cupcakes! I've never done mini's before! I have to say, that I prefer mini cupcakes considerably more than regular cupcakes.

I think that:

A. Mini cupcakes have a better frosting to cake ratio. You get a little bit of frosting with every bite of cake. With regular size cupcakes, your first couple of bites are either all frosting or all cake (at least with my experience) because you can't get your mouth around the frosting AND the cake. yeesh!

B. You can try more flavors! If you're looking to taste test, big cupcakes are just such a waste...a coupla bites, then it goes in the trash :( Cupcakes in the trash are never a happy thing. Since mini cupcakes are only a couple of bites anyways, there's no waste! yay!

In conclusion...mini cupcakes are my new obsession! (at least baking them!)

Here are some pictures of the flavors I baked tonight :)

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream and Mini Chocolate Chips





The whole box! (I love packaging - weird, I know)




Strawberry Cake topped with Strawberry Jam and then Vanilla Buttercream and sprinkles (the jam is hidden underneath the buttercream! It's like hidden treasure!!)









And last, but definitely not least...
Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting, one of my personal faves. I tried to frost them in the same style as The Kumquat Cupcakery in NYC - and I almost succeeded! I think they're pretty cute, even if I didn't capture the exact look I was going for...








yay for mini cupcakes! I hope they enjoy these cupcakes - I sure did love making them!

Back from the Capitol

Chase and I visited Washington DC this past week! It was our three year anniversary! Instead of buying each other presents, we prefer to embark on awesome road trips. We had intended to stay in DC for just one night, but with the generosity of our friends Alex and Emily, and some extra Christmas money, we were able to stay for three nights! I'll do a more detailed post about our trip later, as I don't have my digital camera with me right now - but suffice to say, I think this was one of our best trips to date.

So I was sitting here, reading through some of my favorite sites, and I found an amazing recipe for Paneer. I tried to make Paneer once before, but it never came together...I was using a good recipe, but I just didn't know the technique. Anyhow, I am thinking that is it very important for my future Paneer-making attempts that I remember this website. The question was how? Do I just have a document of websites I like (only accessible on one computer)....or do I create a list, accessible on the internet somewhere?

I have obviously gone with the latter, and though I'm sure there are other solutions to my dilemma, I like the prospect of posting interesting sites/blog entries I read here - more for my personal recollection than for anything else. So without further ado:

- http://fromwhencethesweetbirdsang.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-make-paneer.html

Now I've got the recipe AND the technique! Thanks to this blog entry by Sweet Bird, I now know how to successfully procure yummy yummy paneer! I'll try it again soon

More fun stuff:

- http://foodgawker.com/?s=daring+bakers

Using my favorite food photo hub, foodgawker.com, you can search for "Daring Bakers" and find various blog entries for the December challenge, a French Yule Log! I'm now a part of Daring Bakers, so I'll be participating in their January Challenge! Keep an eye open for that entry.

- http://www.hlchina.com/fiestaretail.htm

Chase got me Fiestaware for Christmas!!!! I can't believe it! I've always loved the bright colors and simple construction of Fiestaware. And now it's in my kitchen! I have navy, orange, yellow, and red place settings, and I hope to invest in more throughout my lifetime. yay for fun dinnerware!

- http://www.mercotte.fr/2008/03/20/desperatly-seeking-macarons/

I have a new obsession. Macarons. Not to be confused with Macaroons, the coconut cookies that I've never really had an affinity for. Macarons are french pastries that are oh so visually pleasing to look at and not so easy to make (so I've heard). The pastry is a kind of almond meringue and between two pastries, you will find various fillings like buttercream, jams, jellies, caramel...etc. You can dye them different colors and you can flavor them with fruit and extracts. The possibilities are endless! I really want to make THESE. http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2008/06/snickers-macarons.html yummmm snickers.


oh. and you MUST. must must must. go see Slumdog Millionaire.

Welcome Back! (to me?)

I realize I've neglected to post for a while! And for that I apologize. But it was just too difficult to work 23+ hours at the Cupcakery, 35+ hours at the Outfitters, cook 3 meals a day (2 of those in the morning...breakfast and a pack lunch), and then actually have time to blog.
I've cut down my hours significantly at the Cupcakery, and I am finally feeling like I can breathe again, though I do miss seeing the Cupcakery ladies everyday.

Some updates about me!

- I've recently purchased some embroidery digitizing software! With this software (and my steadily progressing digitizing skillllz), I will be able to digitize any design/logo for embroidery. I only have a couple of clients right now, but in the next couple of years I hope to become entirely self sufficient in running a small digitizing business.

-Our puppy dog Gershwin is going to be a daddy (again)! He mated with a beautiful Maltese (he's a Yorkie) and their puppies are due just after Christmas! We're going to keep one of the girls, and her name will be Busby (after Busby Berkeley) and she'll be so soft and cuddly! And she will be best friends with Gershwin forever and ever. :)

-Chase has almost finished this semester at UT. He has several finals this week, and several next - then it's time for a break! He has decided to major in history and minor in secondary education. That means he can teach! He'll be such a good teacher.

-Thanksgiving was fun, albeit very busy. We had four get-togethers to attend on Thanksgiving day! It was endlessly tiring. But it was good to see family. I made an espresso cake (delicious and wonderful!), blondies (after my second try, they turned out pretty darn good), and apple cobbler (there are a couple of things I will change about this recipe in the future.)

-I am exercising! 6 days a week - 30 minutes a day. This is HUGE for me. I have n-e-v-e-r made exercise a habit. I'm sure it will make me considerably more healthy (that's my goal too!). I missed a couple of days there around Thanksgiving, but I've got my nose to the grindstone again. Hopefully I can make this a habit in 6 weeks (I'm currently ending Week 2, and beginning Week 3. Wish me luck!)

-I've finally taken the leap and joined the Daring Bakers blogroll! I absolutely cannot wait! I'm not very good at photoblogging, well, at least not very experienced, but I hope to change that.

This past month the Daring Bakers made Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting. Check foodgawker.com and search for "Caramel Cake" and you can spot some of the amazing bakers that take part in the Daring Bakers challenges.

Well, it's bedtime for me now - but you'll hear from me soon!